The Heart of a Nation
by Zeao
Summary: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." -Jimi Hendrix. This is a story of how the nations of the world fight old battles, heal old wounds, take a stand, forgive, forget, love, and then move forward... After tragedy after tragedy befalls them all, challenging all that they believe in.
1. The Code

Okay, so for the revised version, this is chapter 1. Throw out everything you've thought about the story so far, and start thinking over again.

Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs entirely to Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) The revision doesn't change that.

...oOo...

The Code

November 9, 1989

_Gilbert and Ivan stood back to back. Rain poured down on them, washing away dirt and blood._

_Ivan squinted through the encroaching darkness, aiming his gun at an enemy he was not sure was existed. Even when night fell, and his fingers were numbing from the cold rain, he never faltered. He knew that as long as Gilbert was at his back, he had nothing to fear. Just to check, he leaned back. A soft wall of warmth greeted him._

_They stayed like that for a long time. With Ivan fighting his invisible enemies, and Gilbert just trying to stay alive._

_The rain fell harder and Ivan heard laughing in the distance, off to the side. He spun around immediately with fire in his eyes._

"_If you're going to shoot me, then do it!" Ivan shouted into the surrounding darkness._

"_I'll only shoot if you do." Another voice taunted from the other side._

_Ivan swung around to aim his gun at the new voice. "Prussiya, you watch my right."_

_He waited to feel the other nation shift against him, or to hear the cocking of a gun as he took aim, but none came._

_Trying to stay cal,, he pressed back against Gilbert again._

_There was no response, but he was definitely still there. Gilbert had not abandoned Ivan again._

"_Russland..." Gilbert's usually strong voice muttered._

_Keeping his back to his companion's more firmly, he kept his gaze trained on the void._

"_Did one of them hit you?" He had not heard a gunshot, but the rain was pouring down so hard that it may have muffled an assassin._

_He felt Gilbert collapse. Keeping his gun up, he looked down over his shoulder._

_It had not hit him, until that moment, just how pathetic they must look. Their clothes were so wet that it clung to their lean frames. Well, Ivan's frame was lean; but the other looked like he had been wasting away. And they were fighting without moving. They knew that they were surrounded by enemies, but they did not know how many, or where they were, much less what they were doing._

_Gilbert clutched a hand to his chest, the other holding him up from the wet pavement._

"_Es ist Westen," he rasped._

"_Germaniya?" Ivan asked._

_Gilbert shuddered and then coughed, spitting blood onto the pavement. "Ja... Es ist Deutschland..." He looked up at the violet eyes of Ivan._

"_Give me your gun." The bigger country was focused on the invisible enemies again._

_Gilbert handed his gun up to him wordlessly._

"_Are you going to surrender?" Ivan asked._

"_Nein... Noch nicht..." he was breathing heavily._

"_You're dying, Prussiya," Ivan said emotionlessly. "You can't even speak English anymore, and I can't protect both of us forever."_

"_Russland..." Gilbert coughed again. "Look at me."_

_Ivan glanced down coldly, then turned away. "I can't."_

"_Then listen to me. A nation's heart is his capital. If it is divided, then there are two countries, like Westen and I. But once they are reunited, there can't be two."_

_Without looking down, Ivan asked: "Then why are you dying and not Germaniya?"_

_Gilbert chuckled darkly. "I guess I wasn't awesome enough."_

_Ivan scowled. "Seriously Prussiya, you're the one who said to listen, so keep talking."_

"_Alright," Gilbert then groaned and fell onto his side on the ground. Ivan did not move at all. "Everyone on my side of the wall is hopping onto Westen's side... My people are leaving me..." he trailed off and rolled over onto his back, so he could look up at Ivan's face again. "I never wanted to abandon you."_

_Ivan simply cocked the gun that had been handed to him and aimed it to his right. He had guns loaded and aimed in two different directions, trying to cover them both. "Keep going, they are getting closer."_

"_I never wanted to abandon you. I..." he trailed off again and closed his eyes._

"_You what?" Ivan spared him a glance to make sure that he was still alive._

_Gilbert whispered his response, "I didn't want it to end like this."_

"_... Neither did I," a tinge of regret entered Ivan's voice._

"_If everyone from Westen's side was coming over to mine... I would..." he hesitated before deciding that it was now or never. "I would give you Berlin."_

_Ivan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I never wanted to invade you Prussiya. Why would you do that?"_

_Gilbert laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face and he ended up on his side again, with his back to Ivan._

"_What's so funny?" The other nation demanded._

"_You..." Gilbert fought to catch his breath, his breathing still abnormally fast after. "You really don't get it, do you."_

"_Get what?" Ivan finally looked down at him properly. "Is it some sort of code?"_

_Gilbert chuckled again, keeping his back to the taller nation, "Ja, it's code."_

_Ivan noticed that Gilbert's breathing was getting shallower. He rolled over to look at Ivan one last time._

"_I'll give you Berlin if you give me Moscow." His eyes began to close. "That's the code..."_

...oOo...

A/N

Newcomers to the story: Welcome! I have the plot pretty much mapped out, though I'd still love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I respond to all reviews =]

People who have been reading and who have been awesome enough to actually go back and reread the first two chapters: Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'd like to hear what you think of this and where you think it is now going.

~Happy Browsing!


	2. Big Strong Nations

**Revised Version: This is chapter 2 and has gone through some serious edits.**

Heya guys!  
So the rating is T because of discussion of sensitive issues and language in later chapters.

The first few chapters are really slow but they are necessary, so bear with me.

Disclaimer: Hetalia in its entirety is not mine, not am I trying to claim it. Hetalia belongs solely to Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和)

Pairings:  
Germany and Italy (Implied, but it will happen eventually)  
Spain and Romano  
America and England (Implied, but it is SO going to happen.)  
Poland and Lithuania (Read above =] )

Big Strong Nations

* * *

_And suddenly I become a part of your past_  
_I'm becoming the part that don't last_  
_I'm losing you and it's effortless_  
_Without a sound we lose sight of the ground_

~Over My Head: The Fray

* * *

Alfred took a deep breath before he entered the meeting room. He hated it when these meetings and world meetings were scheduled on the same day. His head was always too full from the issues of one meeting to focus on the other and sometimes the topics discussed made him too cynical for his own comfort.

The giant double door in front of him sat there patiently, uncaring for the problems that come with running a nation. Alfred sighed and slumped against the door for a moment. Would it be worth the President's wrath to skip this one? World meetings have been particularly draining lately.

He scowled to himself. The meetings would not be nearly as bad if his boss did not insist so much on maintaining face. If Alfred so much as hinted at internal problems then all of a sudden, there was a national scandal. And that was among the last things he wanted to deal with, coming second only to the meeting he was about to attend.

Alfred stood up straight again and mentally braced himself for the door, being sure that his usual grin was in place.

Abortions.

Guns.

Gay Marriage.

Iraq.

Budgeting.

Education.

Healthcare.

Always the same discussions. Everyone was perfectly ready to complain about it, but no one was willing to do anything about it. He could not even properly represent the American population because as long as they were divided about these issues, he would be as well.

As the people in the meeting started yelling about God's Will and quoted the bible at each other, he glanced at his watch.

_Only half an hour more..._

...oOo...

"But America, why is gay marriage bad?" Feliciano asked.

_Slurrrrrrp! _"Imph noh 'ad, imph 'us nah 'ermittah!"

"In English, please, America." Arthur sighed.

Alfred bit his tongue and took another gulp of his milkshake. _I get enough of this in my own country. _"It's not bad, my boss just doesn't permit it," he responded.

"Why though?" Feliciano insisted.

Ludwig put a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "Italien, that's the way they do things there. Don't meddle in Amerika's business."

"I agree with America-san," Kiku stated.

"I think it's funny when you all talk about love with hope in your eyes," Ivan commented with a smile.

Everyone turned to look at him, not knowing what to say. But Alfred remained from scoffing. _Apparently love has nothing to do with marriage for gay people._

He was spared from further brooding thoughts when Matthew walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," he said in his quiet manner.

Francis shook his wavy hair out dramatically before saying, "I happen to think that love in all its forms is beautiful. Don't you agree, Canada?"

Now, everyone look to Matthew for his reply. Feeling as if he had walked into a trap, he responded with uncertainty, "Gay people have always been welcome in my country."

Alfred took the opportunity to add, "And that's why I'm not paying you back for the people you loaned me." _Keep face, stay obnoxious, be loud, and joke around; no one will ever know._

Wang sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "Why are all Western nations so immature? Just tie your economies together and your differences will disappear!"

_'Cause, that's turned out _so_ well for me._

"Pozellan, the European Union already has a common currency," Ludwig said slowly.

"And it hasn't been working very well for me lately." Heracles added.

Alfred grinned and declared, "I knew staying out of the Union would work out for me! Now I get to be the hero!"

Berwald rolled his eyes. "As if your economy is doing perfectly right now."

"Can't everyone relax?" Tino asked nervously, "It's almost Christmas."

"Ahh, Christmas, a time of true romance!" Francis sighed, with a dreamy look in his eye.

_Oh yeah, I forgot about that... It really is that time of year again, isn't it?_

"Yeah, well, every day is a day of 'true romance' for you," Arthur sneered.

Antonio shrugged. "Francia makes the most of every day. I wish I had romance every day." He glanced at Lovino.

"I hate you, Spagna... Make me pasta." Lovino replied.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about modern issues?" Matthew asked.

His question went unnoticed.

"Hey, Spanien! I'm so awesome, I bet I could make Romano behave for you!" Gilbert offered loudly.

Lovino looked up from cleaning his nails. "Drop dead."

"Be nice to Alemania's brother, Romano!" Antonio scolded.

Toris sighed at all the fighting.

"Like, what's wrong?" Feliks asked.

Toris looked over at his friend and replied, "Is it just me, or does nothing ever get done at these meetings?"

Feliks simply shrugged.

"You're just jealous because I actually get some!" Francis taunted.

"Shut up, France!"

But Francis succeeded in making Arthur blush.

"Not getting some would make anyone cranky," Alfred agreed.

"I wonder why Allemagne is always so cranky then," Francis mused, hiding an evil grin.

"What does he mean, Germania?" Feliciano questioned, tugging on the taller nation's sleeve.

Ludwig looked away pointedly. "Don't worry about it, Italien."

Lovino chuckled. "How don't you know what it means? Spagna -mph!"

He was cut off by Antonio covering his mouth hurriedly.

"So how about it, Angleterre?" Francis asked suggestively, "Gotten any lately?"

"I... Uhh..." Arthur's blush deepened.

"Thought not. Well, I must be off." Francis blew the tormented nation a kiss, then pranced off.

"We should go, too." Antonio quickly dragged a struggling Lovino out of the room.

"Me as well." Ludwig hastened after them.

"Wait up, Germania!" Feliciano and Prussia rushed after.

Ivan sighed. "The entertainment is all gone... Let's go." He and his three tributaries left.

Feliks watched Toris until he was out the door. "I'm out, too."

Kiku stood up and nodded silently at those remaining. "Please, excuse me."

Wang chased after. "Wait! I have advice about your economy!"

Heracles shrugged. "I guess the meeting is over... I'm going to go take a nap."

Tino and Berwald followed silently.

That left only Arthur and Alfred. They looked at each other and Alfred recognized the look in his eye. It was the look he got whenever he thought that something was wrong and he was trying to figure out the best way to confront him about it. Having known the island nation since he was born, Alfred correctly guessed that he had been sitting on it for weeks, before finally deciding to talk to him about it. But he already knew what it was about. Everyone has been thinking it.

Alfred stood up and stretched. "I've got healthcare issues to address," he said, and he turned to leave, but Arthur stood up quickly and grabbed his wrist.

The bigger nation turned and tried to look surprised. "What?"

"Remember the Marshall Plan?" Arthur was looking at the ground instead of Alfred's face.

"Yeah. Why?" Alfred suddenly did not know where this was going.

[Marshall Plan: 1948-1951 – Plan for America to rebuild Europe economically after WWII. Many buildings across Europe say 'built with the assistance of the Marshall Plan.]

"I know that you're going through some hard times right now." Arthur said, still looking down.

Yup, there it was. Alfred faked a laugh, hoping it would dissuade him. "What do you mean?"

Arthur knew that smile was fake. He almost found it insulting that Alfred thought he could not see right through him.

"Your politicians are vicious, your depression is out of control, your systems of education are falling apart, and you're so torn up about some issues that you're not really the _united _states of America any more."

Alfred's face fell. "How'd you know all of that?" He tried really hard to keep all of his internal issues downplayed. He had been having enough international problems as it was. The last thing he needed was the entire world knowing of his internal issues.

Arthur's grip tightened. "I raised you, America! I think I know you bloody well enough to know when something is wrong!"

The other nation was silent for a moment, but then asked, "What does that have to do with the Marshall Plan?"

Arthur adopted the tone that he used on Alfred as a child, as if he was a concerned parent. "You helped Europe get back on its feet. Why don't you let Europe help you get back on yours?"

The teen looked at the smaller nation in exasperation. _Really? _Then he shrugged. "I just like doing things my own way."

He pulled out of Arthur's grasp and walked out the door.

When he was finally out in the hall, he took a deep breath in and then released it slowly. He really needed to pull himself together if _Arthur _of all nations knew something was wrong. Alfred straightened his jacket, pushed his glasses back up, and placed a cocky smile back on his face.

Arthur watched him leave. He desperately wanted to chase him down and try to talk some sense into him, but something held him back... He never quite noticed before just how broad Alfred's shoulders were. Shoulders that carried a burden much too heavy for any one nation to carry. _Someone _had to do something to talk some sense into the international powerhouse.

Arthur took a step forward to pursue him, but he was already long gone.

_Maybe this is how he felt whenever I would walk away._

"Don't take it personally, that's just how he is."

Arthur jumped, having not noticed Matthew in the corner. But then he turned back to the spot Alfred disappeared from.

"Yeah, I know... That's how I was, too."

Arthur could not shake the feeling that if he had treated Alfred differently as a kid, then things would be different now...

...oOo...

"Japan!" China called after the island nation, after chasing him out of the meeting room.

Kiku turned around. "Yes, China-san?"

Wang caught up to him and they started walking together.

"I noticed that you've been getting close to Greece lately," Wang noted passively.

"Yes, Greece-san is very nice. He does not get along well with Turkey-san, but his home is nice to visit. I like his pastries, and his history too," Kiku replied, with as much enthusiasm as the nation was capable of.

"You know, his economy is terrible right now."

"Yes, I know. It is sad, but he does not seem to mind too much."

"Just don't get too involved with him," Wang said, looking away from his companion and joining his hands under his large sleeves.

"Why?" Kiku was oblivious to the other nation's nervousness.

"Greece will drag you down with him."

Kiku remained passive and asked, "Why do you think that?"

Wang stopped walking. "Listen to me, I've been through this before. Western nations will always take advantage of hard workers however they can. They'll exploit every weakness you have. You think America will protect you from attack of something happens? They won't! You can't trust any of them!"

Kiku turned to face his self-proclaimed older brother, slightly confused. "What do you mean, China-san?" He questioned.

The older nation looked down as he replied, "England took advantage of me once. They just wanted to force open trade and use me. They practically sold me off to other nations. France, Germany, Spain... All of them... Even America... You know how it was."

Kiku looked at him with what could have been sympathy. "China-san, I am sorry for what they did to you, but they are different now. World War II has changed America-san a lot. I would not expect him to save me, but I believe he would."

"You don't know how bad it was, Japan." It looked like tears were gathering in his eyes.

"You have forgiven me for Nanjing, why can't you forgive everyone else?"

[Rape of Nanking- 1937: Japanese soldiers went into the Chinese city of Nanking to slaughter all the men and rape all the women. Casualties and fatalities were off the charts. It was a dark day in Chinese history.]

"The Western nations forced you to be stronger," Wang began, "So you rose to the challenge and became stronger. They used you too, and they're using you now. Don't you see that?"

Wang paused before answering. "America-san built me back up from the damage he caused, even though I attacked him first. He may be misguided, but his heart is in the right place."

"But Japan, you don't understand how bad it was. They _owned _me. They _used _me, just because I was hard-working. They weren't Spheres of Influence, they were Spheres of Control. It took so long for me to pull myself together." A tear fell down Wang's cheek.

[Spheres of Influence- c.1842-c1949: European nations all controlled a piece of China to force trade. They completely controlled and regulated everything within their sphere, and the government of China was helpless against their intervention.]

Kiku saw the tear and realized how broken up Wang had been. "China-san, I will be fine. I have excellent relations with many European countries, and I will not get involved in any wars. America-san will help me if I am attacked. As for Greece-san, our economies are not tied at all. He can not use me, he can not help himself right now."

Tears were falling fast down Wang's face. "No one can help themselves right now."

"Why are you so sad?" You dislike the Western nations, why would you care?"

"I've made a mistake. My economy is so tied with America's... If he goes down, I'll go down too. He doesn't care that I can't take of myself. Working conditions are awful. Everyone conveniently turns their back on me... Always..."

Kiku did not know what to say. "China-san, it is not my place to tell America-san what to do. You are a big strong nation, you will figure something out. Do not worry about me."

Then Kiku left Wang to cope with his past and contemplate his future.

"Everything is one big sphere of control..." Wang raised a sleeve to his wet eyes, "I'm not a big strong nation anymore."

A/N  
Hello again! So, I have this story pretty much plotted out now. I will try my best to keep updates regular and adhere to my outline so these major revisions aren't needed again ^^;

Thoughts to share?

~Happy Browsing!


	3. Old Habits Die Hard

**This chapter was not changed dramatically by revisions, although minor things were changed.**

So, pairings:

AmericaxEngland (Implied)  
FrancexCanada (Implied for now.)

Disclaimer: Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋 秀和) Owns Hetalia, all the characters, and owns this fanfic. (By the transitive property.) If you understand what the statement in the parenthesis means, you are awesome and I want you to marry me. That is all. Proceed.

Old Habits Die Hard

* * *

_Can I get to your soul?_  
_Can you get to my thought?_  
_Can we promise we won't let go?_

~Stereo Love: Edward Maya

* * *

Arthur drummed his fingers against his oak desk. Why does America do this to himself? Doesn't he see that if he goes down, he's taking most of the world down with him? He moved his hand to his face to rest his forehead against his palm. He is spread too thin, He can't take care of himself right now. What if relations with China go bad? America would be against a huge nation... Arthur sighed. And princes marrying commoners... The whole world is turning upside down.

"Ohhh Angleteeeeeeeere!~" The voice of Francis called from the hallway.

Arthur's hand slipped and his face thunked against the desk.

"What are you doing in my house, France?!"

"Oh just a little friendly advice," The nation of romance appeared, leaning against his doorway and flourishing a rose.

"Advice about what, exactly?" Arthur rubbed his sore forehead.

"Amerique, of course!" Francis replied cheerily.

"W- Why would I need advice about _him_?" Arthur spluttered.

"Canada overheard your little conversation with him you know~" He said in a sing-songy kind of voice.

Arthur looked at Francis disbelievingly, "And he told you?"

"Of course he did. You should listen to what he has to say more, he is quite chatty once you get him talking. And we happened to have a lovely chat about your relationship with America."

"What did Canada say?" Arthur was curious enough to ignore Francis' teasing.

"He says you were kind of a jerk to them as kids."

Arthur buried his face in his hands. "I know that now."

"Hmph... You really don't know what to do, do you?"

Arthur was silent.

"If you want my advice, I'd say sorry about the past."

The island nation kept his face hidden as he replied: "What would _you _know?"

Francis let some of his arrogant air drop. "More than you think. Remember, I helped him as a teenager during the revolutionary war. He was really torn up about that war by the way. But you seemed to fall apart more than he did, after that."

[American Revolutionary War- 1775- 1783: When colonists in America disagreed with England about taxes, and Americans were fed up with England's laws, they declared themselves independent and a war ensued. France, Spain, and the Netherlands secretly aided America.]

"Don't rub it in... Get out of my house."

Francis turned around, twirling his rose as he did. "Fine, but I do have one last thing to say."

Arthur looked up and rested his chin on his knotted fingers, ready to listen.

"You better do something soon. I'm worried about how much of Amerique's economy has been handed over to Chine. Chine is too strong an opponent for Amerique to be up against."

And with a swish of his tunic, he disappeared.

Arthur looked at the place where Francis had disappeared for a moment, then stood up to chase after him.

"France!" The smaller nation rounded the corner at a run. "Fra- what are you doing?" He stopped in his tracks.

"Waiting for you to chase after me dramatically, of course." He was leaning against a wall right outside England's study. "So, if you would like my further advice, I suggest that you tell Amerique that he doesn't have to be so strong all the time."

Arthur chose to ignore the other nation's prediction of his actions. He ruffled the hair on the back of his neck and said, "I can't remember a single time where he hasn't tried to be strong. He has always been strong..."

_He grew up strong without me..._

"Oh, we were all strong once. Grandpa Rome, Greecia, Turquie, Russie, Espagne, me, you, Japon, Allemagne, and now, Amerique. We were all great once, then we all fell. Tell him that, before he figures it out the hard way."

Arthur sighed. "I think he knows that, he has been studying history long enough."

"Ahh, but you forget, Angleterre. You didn't see enough of him as a younger teen to understand, but he _is _indeed a teenager. So he thinks that he is invincible."

"We all thought that once."

"You would know about teenage rebellion all too well, wouldn't you? Quite a run we had, wasn't it?" Francis paused to chuckle, but then continued, "Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. So stop Amerique from getting too much bigger. He won't listen to anyone else."

"Why not? I'm surprised if he won't listen to Germany, he watched Germany fall."

[Germany at the end of WWII- 1945: After having successful taken over Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Yugoslavia, Italy, and most of France; Germany finally fell to the Allied powers: The U.S, France, Poland, England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, the Soviet Union, China, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway and Yugoslavia. (Holy SugerHoneyIcedTea that's a lot of countries!)]

"Why would watching Allemagne fall make him listen?" Francis asked. His curiosity was piqued.

"Well, Germany knows what it's like to fall firsthand, and America witnessed it firsthand. So he might listen to Germany more than he would listen to me."

"You should do it though," the other nation insisted.

Arthur sighed at Francis' stubbornness. "Why me?"

Francis rolled his eyes. "Oh mon dieu... Your head is as thick as your eyebrows."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Arthur retorted sharply.

The other nation sighed and twirled his rose. "Look, all Amerique ever wanted growing up was to be as big and strong as you were. He wanted you to see him as his equal, that's why he broke free."

"R- really?" _Didn't I ever tell him that he was amazing as he was?_

"But of course. At the time, I only aided him to stick it to you, but now I'm glad I helped him. He turned into a great nation after all. And I suppose we all owe him a lot."

[French Involvement in American Revolutionary War: Solely to piss England off.]

"... How do I say all that to him?"

Francis grinned. "I'm sure you will think of something. And I must go, I'm afraid some teachers are on strike again."

Arthur leaned against a wall as Francis literally skipped off.

_What can I possibly say that can convey all of that? _He rubbed his tired eyes. _Why didn't I tell him all of that when I had the chance?_

"Why have you always spent so much time trying to be strong?" He muttered to the air. His mind wandered to the days when he had Global Hegemony. _Why would he want to be more like me when he has been trying so hard to be different... Is it too late for him to change now? _England took a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

_No, it's never too late. Old habits just die hard._


	4. Where Loyalties Lie

**Revised Version: This chapter had minor things revised.**

Pairings for this chapter:  
PolandxLithuania (Oh they are too cute ^^ )

Disclaimer: Guess who Hetalia doesn't belong to! Me! Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) owns Hetalia, Hetalia's awesomeness, all the awesome characters, the entire Hetalia franchise, the Hetalia anime, and the entire Hetalia fandom!

Also, a very special thanks to Brown Feather, who is now helping write this story! And this story is also dedicated to him/her for being awesome ;)

Proceed my munchkins.

Where Loyalties Lie

* * *

_I don't mind spending everyday_  
_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_  
_Look for the girl with the broken smile_  
_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_  
_And she will be loved_  
_She will be loved_

~She Will Be Loved: Maroon 5

* * *

Toris sat by the telephone of Ivan's house. Why is it so hard to just call him? All we ever do when I go over is sit around being lazy. He stretched a hand toward the phone with a determined face, then shied back. I can't do it...

Raivis came up behind him and asked, "What are you doing?"

Toris jumped at the sudden intrusion to his thoughts.

"I'm just trying to call someone..."

"Is it Poland?" Eduard inquired, entering the room behind Raivis.

Toris' silence was enough of an answer.

"Do you think he will try to take you back?" Raivis asked with honest eagerness.

"Your knight in shining armor?" Eduard half-taunted.

"He never struck me as the knightly sort," Raivis mused.

"That's because he isn't," Eduard smirked.

"Maybe he's changed!"

"Oh, you just want all your romance novels to become reality."

Raivis pouted slightly. "Who knows, maybe he will show up at the door one day demanding that Russia gives him back!"

_You should like, totally see the look on your face right now!_

"He's a bastard!" Toris exclaimed.

Not knowing where the sudden outburst came from, the other two Baltics fell silent. They looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say. But before Toris had to explain his sudden outburst, he was spared.

_RIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING! RIII-_

"Hello," Ivan said into the receiver.

All three Baltics jumped. No matter how often he snuck up on them, they were still always surprised. _How much did Russia hear?_

"Yes, he is here," Ivan continued, "Sure. Here he is," he offered the phone to Toris with a smile, "It's your knight in shining armor."

Toris took the phone from the smiling nation sheepishly. _Guess it was the whole conversation then._

"Poland?"

Everyone was watching him.

"_What was that? About, like, a knight in shining armor?" _The nation on the other end of the phone asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Toris said hastily.

"_Okay. Well, do you like, wanna come over? I've got some movies and a ton of pocky."_

Toris looked to Ivan, who nodded.

"Sounds great, I'll be right over." He hung the phone up and the other three nations were still watching him.

He smiled nervously and shrugged, "We haven't spent much time together lately."

Ivan waved dismissively. "Just don't forget where your loyalties lie, da?"

...oOo...

Toris sat down on his friend's cushy couch. Feliks offered the box of Pocky to him, and he took a couple.

"What do you want to watch?" Feliks asked.

"Mmm, anything is fine," Toris said noncommittally.

The blond nation bent down to search through movies stacked by the T.V.

"How about Peter Pan?"

"Sure," but then the movie request processed and he asked, "But isn't that a bit childish?"

"Nope. You're never too old for some movies," Feliks replied, putting the disc in the DVD player.

He went over to the couch and flopped down beside Toris, instantly taking up most of the space. Then he reached for another box of Pocky and gave his original box to his companion.

They watched the movie in silence. Feliks ate his whole box, then went to get other snacks.

"I wish I could fly," he commented as he came back with a bowl of popcorn, "It would make life sooooo much easier."

"Yeah, I think if I could have anything in the world, it would be the power to fly," the other nation agreed.

"It'd be, like, so much easier for you to come see me!"

Toris looked at his friend in surprise.

"I... Guess it would be," he eventually replied.

Feliks did not find the second silence between them awkward, but Toris did. He had never quite got over how the other nation had just given him up to Ivan, and then thought it was funny.

"Why doesn't Russia let you come over much?" The blond nation questioned as he poured buttery popcorn into his mouth.

Toris shrugged. "I think he's just really controlling."

"You should like, say something to him!" Feliks began excitedly, "Yeah! You, Estonia, and Latvia gang up on him and, like, teach him who's boss!" He finished his declaration with a fist in the air.

Toris just looked away. His mood went unlightened by his friend's antics.

"Hey, like, what's up?" Feliks' voice was tinted with genuine concern.

"It... It's not that simple," Toris muttered.

"What? Why not?"

He rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Estonia, Latvia, and I depend on him. And he's so much bigger, we couldn't do anything to fight him."

[Russia and the Baltics: Though they have technically been free from Russia since the 1990s, Russia still wields considerable influence. Influence not through economics or politics, but by custom from all of the Russians who settled there throughout the years. But for the purposes of this fanfic, we are going to pretend that Russia still wields political control.]

"Just get another nation to help you. I bet America would, like, totally help. He and Russia have that whole old grudge thing going on!"

"I don't think anyone would be willing to help little countries like us, especially knowing how possessive Russia is over his tributes," Toris sighed sadly.

[How Serbia Inadvertently Caused WWI- 1914: An Austrian diplomat was shot by a terrorist group that happened to station themselves in Serbia. Though the Serbian government had nothing to do with the attack, they were blamed. Protecting Serbia (because of all the Russians in the country), Russia butted heads with Austria. WWI ensued.]

Trying to change the subject, Toris said: "Let's just watch the movie."

"What if I like, help you though?" Feliks insisted.

A little bit of anger flared up in Toris.

"No, we are doing just fine, thank you."

"But you don't like it there." Feliks was confused.

"So? Russia looks after us and protects us! So what if he is a little controlling and intimidating?

The other nation was silent for a moment, but then smiled.

"I could, like, do that for you too!" He said excitedly.

Toris looked at him angrily. "You had your chance to do that before! I _fought _beside you! We fought Russia _together_! Then you let Russia carry me off while you _laughed. _Didn't that mean something to you?! Does it mean anything to you?! Even today?" He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, "It's not like it's ideal at Russia's house, but I know he would protect us. He certainly wouldn't let some other nation carry me off. Besides, it isn't as if I could just leave Estonia and Latvia. We aren't best buddies, but it'd be lonely without them."_I'm lonely enough as it is..._

"What if I tried to like, get all three of you then? I did it once."

Feliks looked like an excited child again. As if Toris had just suggested that they go 'hunting for treasure.' As if this whole conversation was just about some adventure.

"Poland, you couldn't hold onto _me. _There's no way you could have all three of us... I- I think I'm just going to go."

Toris stood up abruptly and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Feliks stood up hurriedly, and grabbed the other nation's wrist. "Can't you just leave Estonia and Latvia with Russia? If you don't mind it there, I'm sure that they don't. And you won't get lonely here with me around." He tried to smile, but it came across as pleading.

_'Just don't forget where your loyalties lie, da?'_

Toris braced himself, then looked Feliks in the eye. "I think my loyalties lie with whoever has been loyal to me."

Feliks released Toris' wrist. "Have a little faith in me, come on, please," he said imploringly.

He was genuinely pleading now, but he knew it was a lost cause.

"I did have faith in you, once." _Too much faith... Why did I ever expect you to protect me?_

With that, Toris left. And Feliks stood there wondering how he could have screwed up so badly.

...oOo...

A/N

In my opinion, Poland and Lithuania are one of the most underplayed couples in hetalia and hetalia fanfiction. I shall not stand for such things XD

All of these chapters so far may seem unrelated, but I assure you setting up the dynamics between characters will be very important later.

~Happy Browsing!


	5. Cultural Enlightenment

**Revised Version: Hardly anything changed**

Hello once again! Good morning/day/night! So this chapter is slightly longer than the previous couple, but the next chapter is much longer in comparison. So happy reading everyone! ^^

Disclaimer: Everything in this fanfiction belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) . Sadly, not me. I am in no part trying to claim the characters, I just love them a lot.

Pairings:  
GreecexJapan (Implied. Why are all the pairings implied? I'll just come out and make an actual pairing eventually.)

Cultural Enlightenment

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?  
I don't quite know  
How to say  
How I feel

~Chasing Cars: Snow Patrol

Herakles was sitting in his favorite napping spot when Kiku finally found him. Herakles had requested that Kiku come over as soon as he could, but he did not say where to meet, or what they would be talking about.

The island nation approached his friend quickly.

"Good afternoon, Greece-san," Kiku bobbed his head respectfully, but with an heir of urgency.

The other nation was lying down on a large slab of rock with his hands cushioning the back of his head, and his face upturned to face the blue sky lazily. "You don't have to be so formal, you know," Herakles said in his slow voice.

"I am sorry, would you prefer I use _kun_?" Kiku stood awkwardly. He was torn between finding out why his friend wanted him here so quickly and his own urge to be polite.

"Mmmm... No," Herakles replied cryptically. His gaze was transfixed on a lone cloud drifting across the sky, and completely oblivious to Kiku's predicament.

"Oh," Kiku said, trying to find a way to bring up the reason for his visit.

Herakles was content with the silence, even though Kiku still found their silences uncomfortable. He debated with himself internally. Allow the other nation his silence, or continue conversation. The urge to end the silence won.

"Why did you ask me to come here?"

Herakles took awhile to respond as he waited for the cloud to float over some distant mountains. "I just haven't seen you for awhile."

Kiku blinked in surprise. "That is really it?"

Kiku thought that this was a business visit or something, While Herakles was taking his time to respond again, the island nation looked around at the beautiful scenery.

Rolling waves of green surrounded the rock Herakles was lying on, on all sides. Kiku was willing to admit that these rocks were soft, relatively, at least. The Mediterranean nation had once dragged him on an expedition to test all sorts of rocks, and some kinds actually were more comfortable than others. Kiku always expected Herakles to only invite him over for political meetings, so it was a shock to suddenly be dragged off in search of soft rocks. He was so strange.

_'Greece will drag you down with him.'_

Wang's words came back to him, but Kiku never believed that Herakles would do such a thing. If anything, he was upset that Wang said that about a nation that had been so kind to him. He could not imagine the lethargic cat-lover would ever hurt anyone.

As if put there by Kiku's thoughts, a cat sauntered up to Herakles. The cat stretched, and then made himself comfy on the nation's chest. Herakles did not move at all.

After a few minutes of hoping the other nation would make conversation again, Kiku asked: "Greece-san?"

When he did not get a response, he moved closer. Herakles was asleep.

Kiku smiled, he loved how care-free his friend was. He sat down at the other nation's side and pet the fluffy gray cat on his chest. The cat purred quietly and rolled over so Kiku could rub his belly.

"I believe China-san is just jealous," Kiku informed the contented creature, "He has kept to himself for too long, I think."

"I agree," Herakles said, though his eyes remained closed.

Kiku jumped slightly. "Oh, I am sorry! I did not mean to wake you, I was just talking to this cat!"

Still not bothering to sit up or move, Herakles said, "No, I wasn't asleep... What cat?"

He opened his eyes to see the green eyes of the gray fuzzball gazing back at him.

"Oh... Hello cat."

He rubbed the cat's head, and Kiku withdrew his hand, lest his hand and Herakles' hand accidentally touch.

The other nation noted Kiku's movement. He had never understood why touching was such a big deal for his friend. "What is your thing about touching people?" Herakles asked.

"It is just very... Intimate," Kiku replied as he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. Talking about touching still always made him uncomfortable.

Herakles continued stroking the cat. "So it is a culture thing then," he observed. It was more a statement than a question.

"Hai," Kiku paused and looked down as he replied somberly: "There is not even a way to directly say 'I love you' in my language."

The Mediterranean nation sat up, carefully moving the cat to his lap as he did. Then he carefully scooted over to where Kiku was sitting and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Greece-san, what are you doing?" The other nation looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Cultural enlightenment," he replied airily.

Kiku stiffly sat where he was. He was uncomfortable being this close to his friend, but it would be rude to pull away. However, if it was in the name of respecting another nation's culture, he would find a way to manage.

[Japan and Cultural Enlightenment: Since 1854 Japan has been absorbing Western culture in every way it can. From politics, to industry, to marketing, Japan has had a fascination with the west. Japan is also very careful to respect the traditions and cultures of other nations, out of respect.]

Kiku tried to relax, but that was hard to do without leaning against Herakles more.

Surprised at the new information of Kiku's language, Herakles asked, "How would you tell someone you love them, then?"

"It depends if you are talking to a boy or a girl, and also, their relationship to you," Kiku replied calmly, though he was still highly uncomfortable.

"Oh," the other nation said, as if he had just realized something of tremendous value and extreme importance.

There was another moment of silence.

"To answer your question," Herakles began, as if the question had not been asked several minutes ago, "I asked you to come here because I thought you were avoiding me."

"No, no!" He shook his head a few times for emphasis, "That is not it at all. I have been very busy lately with China-san and he..." Kiku could not bring himself to finish the statement.

"I know China looks down on me," Herakles spared his friend from saying it.

Kiku looked at his friend's face, "It is not that he looks down on you, China-san just does not approve of my ties with Western nations."

Herakles looked up at the sky in his dreamy way, as if not quite knowing how to respond. They sat like that for a minute before Kiku gave in a little, leaning into the other nation more. He found himself squeezed a little tighter by the arm around him.

"I think you're right that China is jealous," Herakles said as he continued to stare up into the blue sky. Another wispy little cloud was making its way across the expanse of blue.

"You do? What makes you say that?" Kiku continued looking down. He was waiting for Herakles to comment on how close he had allowed himself to get.

"Hmm... I think... China is scared by what he doesn't understand. And he doesn't understand much about personal relationships," he turned to face his friend, "Kind of like you, but unwilling to learn. Neither of you seem to understand the value of relationships outside of economic ties."

"But, China-san and I have been quite close. And he and I are not really tied economically," Kiku said, trying to follow the other nation's line of thought. He looked up at the sky as well, finding it too awkward to have his face so close to Herakles'.

"No... I guess not... But he does see you as his little brother. Family is very important to him... So I think that he expects you to show the same level of devotion to him."

[Filial Piety- A Chinese value that states that family always comes first, especially parents and the elderly. It also talks about respect and obedience to the head of the household and those older than you. It is a value that endures today.]

Now it was Kiku's turn to be silent. He looked down at the grass again, thinking about what Herakles had said. But his thoughts were interrupted by a warm breeze that made the grass ripple and sway.

"What should I do?" Kiku tried not to sound as lost as he felt.

Herakles looked down at the grass as well. "I think you should do whatever you think is fair... But be careful. I feel as if something big is happening in the world, and he is a very big part of the world right now. China's world may come crashing down around him very soon."

Kiku turned to Herakles in alarm. "Why? What will happen?"

"I don't know yet."

There was yet another silence. This silence was not awkward at all, for there was now an understanding between these two nations. They thought about their past, and all that had happened. They thought about the present, and what everyone might be planning. They contemplated the future, and what it may hold.

"I do not want to witness a third World War," Kiku stated quietly.

"None of us do... I think that is why nations turn their back on each other when there is trouble brewing, but help the moment trouble arises." Herakles closed his eyes, as if trying to block out images of wars long past.

"America-san does not turn his back on other nations," Kiku said quietly.

Herakles nodded. "Yes, but he involved himself too much... I think we are going to pay the price for that if he goes down."

"What will happen to him if there is another World War?"

"It isn't just him you know... It's all of us. I think we all will go down."

Kiku looked slightly forlorn. "I do not want any other countries to end up like I did after the second World War."

[Atomic Bombing- 1941: America bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an attempt to make the Japanese surrender more quickly. The destruction was horrifying, those who did not die immediately, died slowly from radiation poisoning. The entire world was humbled by the destruction after.]

Herakles looked forlorn as well, as he too recalled the wreckage from that day. "Now, we have nuclear weapons... It would be even worse this time."

"I had a nuclear power plant accident recently, I know how awful that is," then Kiku sighed, "We will have to find a way to stop it if war breaks out again."

"Nations have always fought wars for peace... We'll do something different this time," Herakles said resolutely.

Kiku rested his forehead against his knees again, hiding his face.

Herakles' expression softened and he smiled slightly. "Want to know something cool about this intimacy thing?"

"What?" Kiku remained unmoved.

"It's a comfort thing, too."

Kiku hesitated before asking: "Does that mean it could stop another war?"

Herakles knew his friend was hurting from just thinking about the destruction from previous wars. Finally, he settled on replying with: "Maybe... Maybe."

Herakles pulled the island nation closer.

Kiku relaxed and allowed his head to rest on his friend's shoulder.

"Hai," Kiku sighed, "Just maybe."

...oOo...

A/N 

Again, I'm sorry for putting one at the beginning and end, forgive my rambling T_T

So, all of these may seem unrelated, but the dynamics between characters are very important for later chapters, so please bear with me.


	6. At Arm's Length

**Revised Version: hardly touched it, minor corrections.**

Sorry this is so long, but: _**There**__** are a lot of words and phrases from other languages in this chapter. If it isn't obvious as to what the characters are saying, then it isn't completely necessary that you know it. However, translations for everything are at the very**__** end**_**. **If going all the way to the bottom is going to be a pain, then go to google translate, it will work well enough.

Disclaimer: Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) Is not me and I am not 日丸屋秀和 (a load of gibberish and fancy lines). Well, I suppose I could be a load of gibberish and fancy lines, but Hetalia and all the characters wouldn't belong to me, even if I was ='(

Pairings! (Okay, I swear the characters take on a life of their own as I write them! If they want to be together, then they somehow end up together, even if I don't want them to! )  
FrancexCanada (Sorry, it just kinda happened... It's still only implied though!)  
AmericaxEngland (Still implied -_- But getting there slowly!)  
GermanyxItaly! (Finally, one that _isn't _implied!)

Happy reading my luvs.

Arm's Length

* * *

_Time, is going by, so much faster than I,_  
_And I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you._  
_Now I'm, wondering why, I've kept this bottled inside,_  
_So I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you._  
_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

~Never Gonna Be Alone: Nickelback

* * *

Francis sat in his lavishly decorated house. He had a glass of wine in one hand, a romance novel in the other, and he was seated in an overstuffed chair. The room he was sitting in was full of paintings and small colorful sculptures. The décor was reminiscent of an old-fashioned mansion, complete with a massive wine cellar. Sunlight streamed in through the surrounding windows, glinting off of all of the decorations, and bathing the room in a golden glow.

Francis had just gotten off the phone with Feliciano. It seemed that he and Ludwig were about to take a big step in their relationship. Feliciano had, of course, chosen none other than the nation of love to guide him. He was grateful that he himself did not have these issues with the object of his affections.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Francis looked up and checked over his shoulder at the large grandfather clock in the corner.

"Parle du loup," he muttered to himself, then he smiled softly. "He is never on time."

Francis stood up and walked over to the door, tossing his book onto a table rimmed with lace on the way, but keeping his wine in hand.

"Canada, mon cheri!" Francis greeted warmly as he threw the door open and hugged the larger nation.

"Hello," Matthew replied quietly, as he hugged him back.

Francis had a tendency to overwhelm people, especially quiet nations such as his ex-colony.

"Come, come. Assis-toi."

Matthew was wheeled around to a table surrounded by ornate chairs, and a large vase in the center. Matthew sat, as requested, and Francis pulled a bottle of wine and a second glass from nowhere. He offered a glass to his guest.

"I know you prefer cider or maple coffee, but would you care for some honeyed wine? It is one of my best years."

"Oh, sure. Thank you," Canada said, accepting the glass gratefully.

Francis sat down in a chair beside him and asked, "How are things at your house going?"

The other nation sipped the wine before he replied, "Everything has been okay, thank you. But I'm worried that when the economy gets better, Quebec will want freedom. He has mentioned it before, but he owes too much money to break off right now."

"Mmm. That would be very sad," Francis replied with sympathy. He moved his chair so he could face Matthew directly.

"Yes... Everything is okay besides that though."

Francis nodded. "Good, good. And what of notre ami, Amérique?"

Matthew sipped the wine and shifted self-consciously. "He doesn't want much to do with anybody. I know that his boss is going to leave Iraq alone, but that is about it."

"Vraiment? I guess the rumor is true then," Francis leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, his wine swirling around the bottom of his glass. "I thought that Angleterre would have talked with him by now."

Matthew shifted uncomfortably. He felt as if he was about to get pulled into a situation that he may not want to be a part of. "Maybe he has... I don't know if America would listen though."

Francis continued swirling his wine, thinking about what could be done. "What do you think we should do? You are the closest one to him."

"I... I really don't know. I think America is too involved in all the wrong ways, but he wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to tell him that." The familiar sense of 'don't get involved' was sneaking up on him.

"Normally, I would just let Amérique fight his own battles and find out the hard way what it means to fall... But, I think, we are _all _too involved." Francis sighed, "We are all much too integrated to pretend there are any differences in any of our situations. We are all economically screwed." He chuckled to himself as he said the word 'screwed'.

"Have you tried talking to him, France?" Matthew questioned, ignoring the thought that had obviously been on the other nation's mind.

"Ahh, non. I was hoping that Angleterre would."

There was a pause in which Francis sat up and Matthew placed his half-empty wine glass on the table.

"Should we call him?" Matthew suggested.

"Qui? Amérique?"

"No, England."

"Hmm..."

Francis thought about it while he drained his glass.

"Oui, perhaps it would be a good idea."

The smaller nation reached into his pocket to find his cellphone. When he dialed the number, Arthur's national anthem played instead of the traditional ringing. Francis rested his elbow on the table, then put a chin on his hand as he waited for the other nation to pick up.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, it occurred to him that Arthur was taking forever to answer just to make Francis endure his anthem. But there was no answer.

He tried again, only to have the call end after a few seconds.

Francis gasped, "He rejected my call!"

Matthew fought to keep his smile under control.

"Let me try England on mine," he offered.

Matthew dialed the number. Francis could hear the faint tune of the anthem in the silence.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi England, it's Canada and I-"

The phone was snatched by Francis.

...oOo...

"_Why would you reject my call?"_

Arthur could hear the fake tears in Francis' voice.

"Because you are a dramatic, over-zealous, conceited, narcissistic, arrogant creep," Arthur stated as he ran a hand over his face in annoyance.

"_Oh don't flatter me so, mon petit chou!"_

...oOo...

"... Did you just call him what I think you did?" Matthew asked, trying not to laugh.

Francis covered the receiver as the nation on the other end babbled on.

"Ce dépend," Francis began, "On what you think I just said."

Matthew covered his mouth with both hands as he broke down into giggles.

But, the other nation raised an eyebrow. "Tu parles encore le francais?"

Matthew stopped giggling and a slight blush crept across his cheeks. "En peu..." He felt Francis' gaze on him and his blush deepened.

...oOo...

"Are you even listening to me, France?!" Arthur shouted into the receiver.

No answer.

"Hey! You bloody well better have a reason for calling me. And why do you have Canada's cellphone?!"

"_Relax, relax. Calmes-toi." _He suddenly sounded positively gleeful. _"I have Canada's cellphone because you wouldn't accept my call. And I have a perfectly sound reason for calling the likes of you."_

Francis paused, waiting to be asked what he called for.

Arthur sighed, kneading his forehead with his hand. "What did you call for?"

"_Have you spoken with Amérique yet?"_

"Umm... No."

"_Well? What are you waiting for?"_

Arthur was growing steadily more irritated. "He- He doesn't want to talk..."

"_Of course he doesn't. Why would he want to talk to you?"_

"Get to the point, France." Francis' comment hit too close to home.

Arthur heart the other nation sigh loudly. _"Just because he doesn't want it, doesn't mean he doesn't need to hear it, oui? Just call him."_

Then the line went dead.

The island nation started at the phone for a minute, then he rubbed his eyes angrily with the heels of his hands.

Alfred did _not _want to talk to him. He tried, really, he did. But whenever he would so much as approach Alfred, the other nation would make some excuse up to leave. Then he would walk out the door with that stupid fake smile on his face. If Arthur tried to call, he would not pick up and then he acted as if nothing was wrong. If Arthur did not know any better, he would say that his friend was better than ever. However, Arthur knew Alfred was just over-compensating for his sadness, so no one else would notice.

It made Arthur angry. All of it. The avoidance, the fake smiles, and now Francis was on his case. As if he had not been trying!

Arthur sighed out of exasperation. Then he glanced at the phone. _Should I try calling him again?_

He reached for the phone shakily, then withdrew his hand, sighing again. Then he leaned back in his swivel chair, draped his arm across his eyes, and wheeled around to face the wall behind his desk.

_What am I so afraid of? He probably won't even answer, the little bugger._

Just then, the words that Francis said to him a few days ago came back:

'_And the bigger they are, the harder they fall. So try to stop Amérique from getting too much bigger, He won't listen to anyone else.'_

Arthur took his arm off his face and stared up at the ceiling. If Alfred would listen to him, then he would just have to find someone that he _would _listen to. He wracked his brains for someone that Alfred would listen to. It would have to be someone whose opinion he respected and valued a lot. That automatically left out Francis, Antonio, Feliciano, and Romano. Maybe Kiku or Wang. But Arthur did not want to get Wang involved in this, and Kiku was too close to Wang to be trusted... Maybe someone Alfred feared would be better. Ivan? No. No no no! Arthur shuddered at the very thought. He might listen to Basch, considering how great his economy always is. But he had always wanted to remain neutral in all affairs. Matthew? No, he was too soft-spoken.

Arthur sighed heavily. Then, he remembered what he had explained to Francis about watching Ludwig fall.

_Would it work? _He debated with himself for a minute. Worst case scenario, Ludwig refuses to help or Alfred does not listen. Best case scenario, Ludwig talks some sense into him.

_It's worth a shot._

He twirled around to face the desk again and reached for the phone with a little more determination. Arthur dialed Ludwig's number and heard the German national anthem playing on the line. He drummed his fingers against the desk, nervously waiting, when the ringing stopped.

"_Italien! For the last time, we are _not _going to do that! And if you're going to talk about it so much, at least call it what it is!"_

Slightly disconcerted, Arthur did not reply right away.

"_Wait, you do know what it's actually called, don't you?"_

"Uhh... This is England."

"_England?" _There was a rustling as he probably checked his called I.D. _"Oh... I'm sorry. I thought you were Italien calling me back again."_

"... Do you want me to call you back later?"

"_Nein. It's fine. What do you need?"_

Arthur took a deep breath to brace himself.

"I need you to call America for me."

"_Huh? Why? Is he okay?"_

Ludwig and Alfred were not exactly best friends, but he was still concerned for his fellow country.

"Well... Uhh... France and I are worried that he is wearing himself a bit thin." He massaged his forehead with his free hand.

"_Ah." _There was a pause._"Why don't you tell him that? I think he would rather hear it from you."_

"He..." Arthur's voice caught in his throat.

"_What?"_

He cleared his throat and tried again. "I tried and he doesn't want to speak with me."

"_Oh... Well, what should I say to him?" _He sounded slightly amazed.

Arthur was not sure whether the amazement was from the fact that something might be wrong with Alfred or that he was asking Ludwig to help. Relief swept through Arthur all the same. Ludwig would at least try.

"Just tell him that he is bound to fail as a nation if he keeps it up," Arthur said with a bit more confidence.

"_Okay, I will. Is there anything else?"_

"No."

"_Gut. Dann – Schönen Abend noch."_

But, then a thought occurred to Arthur.

"Wait!"

"_Ja?"_

"Are you mad at us for World War Two?"

There was a long moment of tense hesitation from the other nation.

"_When you say 'us', who do you mean?"_

"Me, France, America, anyone at all?" Arthur literally held his breath.

Another unnaturally long pause ensued.

"_To Amerika, I am mostly grateful. I was angry at you and Frankreich. Russland too. But it wasn't out of resentment, it was just because you were unfair." _He hesitated for a moment. _"Frankreich is... sometimes not easy to get along with. So, ja. There was a time when I was angry, but times have changed."_

[Germany after WWII- 1945: Germany was to be ruled and governed by the Allied Powers. Germany was not officially sovereign all on its own until 1990. It was pretty much just because the East and West sides of Germany decided to have a fully democratic government, that the Allied powers relinquished control.]

Not knowing what else to say, Arthur just said: "Thank you." And he released the breath he had been holding.

"_Huh? For what?"_

"You have every right to be mad at us, but you forgave us. So uhh... Thanks for that, I guess."

There was a pause.

"_We all did things we aren't proud of. But everyone is different from then"_

Arthur could not think of what to say. He sat at his desk with the receiver to his mouth. Ludwig must have heard his heavy breathing, because he asked:

"_Are you okay?"_

"Yes. Yes, I am perfectly fine. Please, just... Call America when you get the chance."

An unspoken agreement passed between them to not mention anything else about the past.

"_Einverstanden."_

...oOo...

Ludwig hung the phone up. _That seemed awfully out of character. Then again, everyone has been acting strange lately. _He leaned back in his chair, removing his glasses so he could think. _Why would England ask _me _of all people to talk to Amerika?_

He feared for a minute that something was horribly wrong, but he had not heard anything from the soldiers on the army bases, so he figured that it could not be that serious.

[East and West Germany after the Fall- 1989: When the democratic and communist halves of Germany came together, it was tense. America feared civil war, so they offered to place permanent American army bases there to keep the peace. Many are still up and running today.]

Ludwig decided to get up and have coffee before he called Alfred. Something told him that the ensuing conversation would be tiring.

He stood up, stretched, and went into his spotless kitchen. Well, at least, it was spotless when he had last seen it. Now the kitchen was filled with steam. And there was corn, potatoes, fish, flour, oil, rice, tomatoes, cheese, and bundles of nameless spices thrown about everywhere.

"Germania! Germania! I'm making supper tonight!" A certain hyperactive redhead announced from where he was frying something in a pan.

"Ja, I can... See that," Ludwig said falteringly.

This was a pretty common occurrence but Ludwig still fought to keep his temper in check.

"Vee, Francia said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" Feliciano kept his back turned to Ludwig as he switched to chopping tomatoes. Then he continued, "So then I decided to make that pasta you like! The one with the noodles made of potatoes-"

"Italien."

Feliciano seemed to engrossed in his task to focus on what Ludwig was saying. "-But I couldn't find potatoes anywhere, so I had to go to the store and get some. It's snowing really badly out there and then-"

"Italien."

"I came back and I couldn't find any fish. But then I remembered that I took it out of the freezer yesterday. Wow, it's really cold in here. How much snow do-"

Ludwig sighed. "Italien!"

"Vee~?" Feliciano finally turned to look at him with bright eyes and a dazzling smile.

He was momentarily thrown off by the fact that he finally had the smaller nation's attention. "Where is the coffee maker?"

Feliciano suddenly had an obsession with saving energy, so he always unplugged the coffee maker when he was done. However, he never wrapped the cord up properly, which drove Ludwig crazy. So they decided to put it into a cabinet when it was not in use. The problem with this was that, it seemed to jump magically from cabinet to cabinet.

"It's in this one!" Feliciano opened a cabinet, searched through all the contents, messed the entire order of the contents up, then went to the next cabinet to repeat the process.

Ludwig sat down at the table, not wanting to talk to the Italian any more than necessary, in case he brought _that _up again.

"Ho trovato!" Feliciano declared enthusiastically, and placed the newly found coffee maker on the counter.

The bigger nation moved to stand up, but then saw that his companion was already making a cup for him.

"You don't have to do that..." Ludwig started.

"No, no. I want to." He plugged the appliance into the wall and waited for it to start up.

"... Did Frankreich give you that advice as well?"

"No. I just want to." Feliciano turned to give him a glacier-melting smile.

Ludwig looked away hurriedly, and fell silent. He looked through a window to watch the snow fall against an indigo sky. Keeping his gaze on the window, he began uncertainly:

"You know... Italien... It's not that I don't want to..."

Feliciano looked out of the window as well. "I know. Francia said most countries don't see it the way he, Grecia, and I do. So, I should give you your time. And he said you would really want it someday, and you'll let me know when you do."

Still not meeting the other nation's eyes, Ludwig traced the patterns of the wooden table. "Ja... In my country, it is much more..." He trailed off when he could not find the words.

"Più profondo. That's what Francia said. Deeper."

The other nation just nodded. Feliciano's perceptiveness sometimes amazed him thoroughly. He watched the coffee drip into the pot in silence.

"I do want to, Italien. Just not now. There is a lot going on and we haven't been together very long yet, even if we have been through a lot."

"Sì, I know. If waiting will make it mean more, then I want to wait too." Feliciano smiled again. Then he got up to pour coffee for Ludwig.

The bigger country accepted the mug gratefully, and Feliciano went back to cooking. Ludwig sat there for a minute. With the cold snow on one side, and warm kitchen on the other. He remembered the days when it would just be him alone in his house. Living with Roderich and Elizabeta was not so bad, but having Feliciano living with him was different. The small country was warm and lively; he drove Ludwig completely nuts, but it was okay somehow.

Ludwig stood up and walked over to behind Feliciano.

"Italien."

"Vee?" He turned around.

The larger nation pulled the smaller one into a tight hug. At first, Feliciano was surprised, but then he returned the hug, burying his face into Ludwig's shoulder. The cup of coffee was placed on the counter, and Feliciano was pulled closer. They stood there for what felt like a moment, but it was actually a few minutes. Then Ludwig pulled away and kissed his lover's forehead. He grabbed his coffee off of the counter, and promptly turned around, before Feliciano could see his slightly red face.

Once he was back in his study, he sat down and listened to the sound of Feliciano singing some Italian song. Ludwig sipped the bitter drink while listening, he did not know the words, but it sounded like a very pretty song. Then he put his glasses back on and reached for the phone.

The American National Anthem played as he waited.

"_Hey! Germany! What's good?" _An obnoxious voice answered.

Suddenly, Ludwig had no idea what he was supposed to be saying.

He paused before settling on: "Um, England is pretty worried about you."

"_...Oh..." _The nation on the other end suddenly seemed put-out. _"Well... There's nothing wrong here! I was a little tense with the elections and all, but the people have spoken and all that!" _And just like that, his facade was back up.

"Why don't you tell that to England then? He thinks you have been avoiding him," Ludwig was trying to devise a way to tell the other nation that he was going to wear himself out.

There was a very loud laugh in response. _"That guy? Worried about _me_?! He should worry about himself! He's going to kill himself with his own cooking someday!"_

The older nation could not help but chuckle, but then he was serious again. "Be that as it may, he is not the only one who is worried."

"_Oh puh-lease. I am totally fine" _The other nation scoffed.

Ludwig chose his words carefully. "Amerika, this isn't a joke. You have to be careful. It isn't healthy to be as withdrawn as you were before the first World War, but ever since World War Two, you have been too involved with everybody else."

Alfred, for once, was silent.

"I'm not trying to criticize you, Amerika," Ludwig backtracked quickly, "But if there are battles to fight on your home front, then you shouldn't fight anyone else until it is over."

"_Who says I'm fighting any battles here?" _Alfred asked defensively.

"No one, no one." Ludwig realized that he needed to change tactics. "Just be careful, ja? You saw what it was like to fight a war and come out on top. You don't know what it is like to lose." He mentally hit his forehead against the desk for forgetting about Vietnam when he mentioned losing wars.

Alfred sighed like an impatient five year old. _"I won't have to! Do you know how many people I have in my army?"_

Silently thanking the higher powers that Alfred did not mention Vietnam, Ludwig said, "It isn't just numbers, and it isn't just strength. It's finances too. Everyone is running a little low on funds right now."

"_Not me, my military is just fine with finances!"_

Ludwig mentally sighed. "What about the rest of your country."

"_What?"_

"Is the rest of your country doing just as well with finances?"

"_Of course! Americans will rise to any challenge!"_

"... You are almost sixteen trillion dollars in debt, Amerika."

His hero mask slipped for a moment. _"How... How'd you know that?"_

Ludwig hesitated, unsure of what to say. "It's not really a big secret."

Alfred sighed heavily, as if about to deliver a long and stern speech. But the older nation beat him to it.

"Listen to me. It does not make you weak to ask for help. And if you worry about the past repeating itself so much, then you will be too concerned to worry about the present. Instead of worrying so much, _learn _from the past. Be worried about the past, certainly. But make time for the present. If you don't, then you will find yourself dealing with worse problems than what has been put behind you."

The other nation was silent for the moment, but then the hero facade was back. _"Wow, I didn't know you could be so deep!"_

Ludwig rubbed his forehead in irritation. "That wasn't the point, Amerika." He was getting nowhere.

"_Chill out, dude. I know what I'm doing."_

The older nation sighed. "For the good of the world, Amerika, I hope you do."

A cheerful voice called from the kitchen: "Germania! Dinner is done, when you're ready!"

Ludwig covered the receiver to reply: "I'll be there in a minute!"

When his attention was returned to the phone, he heard a snicker on the other end of the line. _"Germania? Isn't that your grandfather or something?"_

Blushing slightly again, Ludwig replied, "Nein... It's Italian for 'Germany'."

He could almost see the metaphorical light bulb go off above Alfred's head. _"Ohhhh! You and Italy, huh? How long has _that _been going on?"_

Feeling the need to return a fraction of the aggravation the other nation has caused him, Ludwig said, "Not nearly as long as you and England."

Then, with some satisfaction, he hung the phone up.

Ludwig continued sitting at his desk for a minute. He took a deep breath in and let it out, trying to put his thoughts in order. _Why doesn't anyone ever figure out about Italien and I on their own? Am I really that cold to him?_

In the end, he decided that he was not going to worry about such things, considering he was moments from eating supper with Feliciano. He finished his coffee quickly, folded his glasses up neatly, and looked out the window behind him. It was still snowing, and it would probably continue all night. _Having snow on Christmas is nice._

Ludwig stood up and stretched again, he had not realized how tense that conversation made him.

When he went into the kitchen, the entire room was covered in a blanket of steam. It was tinged with the delicate scent of the spices that had been put into the pasta sauce. Two plates heaped with pasta were set on the table, and Feliciano just sat down. He placed a beer by Ludwig's plate, then proceeded to pour himself a glass of wine.

"Scusa for the mess. I'll clean it up after," Feliciano said with his bright smile.

Ludwig sat down across from him, then surveyed the demolished kitchen.

"Nein, leave it. You live here too... It should look like you do."

"Cosa?"

Ludwig looked away, embarrassed, as he repeated: "It should look like you live here... My house was so neat before you moved in. So... Make it your own."

Feliciano could do little more than smile wider. "I'm officially moved in?"

The comment took Ludwig off-guard. "Natürlich, you've been living here... I just want it to be your home too."

It hit the larger country then, just how much he had been holding the world at arm's length. And for how long. He was not the only country that had been doing it lately, but he was willing to be more open, if only to his precious _Italien._

_...oOo..._

Translations: (long list now that it's completed... I'm sorry T_T )

parle du loup - speak of the devil (literal translation is 'speak of the wolf')

mon cheri - my dear, my love

assis-toi – sit down, have a seat

notre ami - our friend

vraiment – really, truly, seriously

Oui – yes, yeah

qui - who

mon petit chou – my little cabbage (it's a term of endearment... No weirder than calling kids 'pumpkin')

Ce dépend – That depends

tu parles encore le francais - you still speak french?

en peu - a little

calmes-toi – calm down, relax

nein – no, nah

ja – yes, yeah

Gut – good, okay

Dann – Schönen Abend noch – then good night, good evening

Einverstanden – Okay, understood, will do

Ho trovato – here it is, it's here

Più profondo – deeper

scusa – sorry, pardon

cosa – what, huh, come again

Natürlich - of course, naturally

A/N: Why are the countries referring to each other in their respective languages? Because I am the author of this fanfic and I decided so ^^ Oh the power =] !

And, I confess! I confess! France and Canada as a couple just grew on me! And then they were begging me to be a pairing in the story. And I was all like NO! but they were all like PLEASE! I held my ground, but they wanted to be a couple any way. Oh damn them and their cuteness -_-

So, for those of you who didn't get what Germany and Italy were talking about, they were talking about sex.


	7. Something Worth Fighting For

**Before you read this chapter: I made some SERIOUS revisions to chapters one and two, they aren't even the same thing anymore. Future chapters won't make sense without them, so please go back and read them at some point. Thank you and I am sorry for being a pain!**

Okay... Please don't hurt me by the end of this chapter T_T

Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me... Blah blah blah... Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和) owns all...

Pairings:  
I think we all know by now...

Chapter 7: Something Worth Saving

* * *

_Can we pretend that airplanes_  
_In the night sky_  
_Are like shooting stars?_  
_I could really use a wish right now_

~The Ready Set: Airplanes

* * *

Wang watched Alfred's plane fly off over the horizon. It is easy to forget how young that nation is sometimes, and how much money that young country owes. _How did he even manage to spend that much? If there is another Great Depression, it is his fault._ Wang decided.

[Great Depression- 1929-1940s: Stock market in the U.S suddenly plummeted. That is the immediate cause, although there were many other factors involved. Such as financial struggles due to World War I]

Wang did not know what to do. He could not just give Alfred all of his industry back, because then his own economy would crash. But if this situation continues, then the entire world's economy would crash. Not that it was not headed that way already, with or without Ivan's prompting.

_Ivan._

Somehow, the agreement between them had seemed good at the time; however, after meeting with Alfred, it did not seem like such a good idea anymore.

Wang sighed heavily, then started heading toward Kiku's house.

...oOo...

"Greece-san, I have to go. I am sorry, but I forgot that I have a meeting with China-san."

Herakles removed his arm from Kiku's shoulders. It was starting to get dark, and neither nation knew exactly how long they had been sitting there. The fluffy cat had left long ago.

"How about I make a deal with you?" Herakles asked.

Kiku stood up and straightened out his robe. "Would it require the presence of my boss? Or a second meeting?"

The Mediterranean nation waved his hand dismissively, "No, no, it is a personal deal."

Kiku bowed his head slightly, "I would be glad to listen, Greece-san. But please be quick."

"You think of your own special way to say 'I love you' and I will stop insisting that you call me Greece-_kun_."

"Oh," Kiku turned slightly red, but nodded again. "I will consider it extensively, but I must go. Sayonara, Greece-" He cut himself off, not knowing which honorific to add.

"_Kun._" Then he smiled. "For now at least."

"Greece-kun."

Kiku bobbed his head one last time before hurriedly leaving.

Herakles watched his friend until he was out of sight, then he lied back down on the rock. He remembered the days when it was normal- expected, even- to like men.

[Ancient Greece & Homosexuality: In Ancient Greece, it was not uncommon for men to have a male lover in addition to a wife; sometimes even more than one lover. And often, men would take significantly younger male partners. Interestingly enough, being a lesbian was punishable by death.]

Oh, how those times have changed for him. He wondered briefly how Kiku felt about it. Was there ever a time in his history where it was ever okay for him? Then he shook his head. Kiku had always been a country based off of family values and loyalty, there was no way that being gay would be acceptable to him.

Herakles gave a slightly forlorn look to the place Kiku had disappeared. _At least that means no one else will have him..._ He cast his mind to any female countries that Kiku could possibly like. He could not think of anyone. Of course, that did not mean that Kiku did not like anybody secretly, but Herakles doubted that Kiku could keep a secret like that. Everyone would probably see it coming a mile away...

Herakles closed his eyes and sighed. Then he breathed the sunset-laden air in slowly, basking in the last rays of sunlight. He wondered if he could possibly change Kiku's mind. He opened his eyes to see storm clouds gathering in the distance and wondered vaguely if he would get snow. He watched the sun sink down below the hills and behind the clouds, leaving the country in cold darkness.

_What does it take to change a nation?_

...oOo...

Wang stood waiting by Kiku's door. He had been standing there for quite some time, yet no one was answering . It was very unlike Kiku to forget appointments, and it was even more unlikely for him to be late.

Want started thinking that something might be horribly wrong, and debated kicking the door down. He decided not to, for it would be terrible manners to do such a thing. Instead he opted to simply call. Perhaps there was a mix-up and they just needed to reschedule.

He pulled his cellphone out- it was the newest model, of course- then he called his little brother. The Japanese national anthem played in place of ringing. _Does everybody this this anthem thing now? Maybe I should do it too..._

"_Arigato, China-san. I am running late and I will be there in a moment."_

"Is everything okay?" He noticed that his brother sounded out of breath.

"_Hai... I was with Greece... san."_ Kiku sounded unsure of his choice of honorific, but continued on, _"And I got a little distracted."_

Wang's eyes narrowed. "Would it be easier to reschedule?"

"_No. I will be right there."_

"Okay, Zàijiàn."

Then the larger nation hung up and wondered what his brother and Herakles could possibly have been doing that would distract Kiku so much... Wang wanted to believe that Kiku would tell him if he was seeing someone, be he had made his opinion of Herakles quite clear. _Maybe it was out of consideration for my feelings that he didn't tell me?_

His thoughts were interrupted by his little brother running up behind him.

"Gomenosai, China-san! I apologize for my tardiness." Kiku said, bobbing his head low.

Wang bobbed his head in return. "It's okay. Let's go inside, it's cold."

The island nation nodded and opened the door. It was unlocked, as Wang knew it would be. He would have just entered the house to begin with, but it was very rude to just walk into someone's house uninvited, brother or not.

They stepped into the warmth of the house, and immediately took their shoes off. Kiku offered to make tea and bring cookies. Wang only sat down on a mat at the low table once he was invited to do so. It was customary, after all. The larger nation sat down and waited politely. The room he was in was closed off by paper and wood doors. If Wang was in any other country, he would worry about privacy, however privacy was never an issue with the citizens of either nation.

Kiku slipped into the quiet room, carrying a tea tray, Wang sat patiently as the other nation placed the tray on the table and proceeded to pour tea for the two of them.

"Those cookies are called Elise Gingerbread," Kiku explained as he poured the hot liquid.

"They smell good... What are they?" Wang asked, looking at the plate with curiosity. They looked like American gingerbread, except covered in something that looked like chocolate.

"They are gingerbread cookies- like America-san's- but dipped in German chocolate," Kiku folded his legs neatly under him as he sat across him his guest.

"Do they really have ginger in them?" Wang inquired.

"Hai, I thought you would like them. Please, have as many as you like, I do not like them much, myself," he motioned graciously toward the platter on the table.

Wang nodded his head and took one. "Thank you."

Kiku sipped his tea in silence as his guest drank and ate. It would be rude, of course, if he was to start discussing business before the other nation was properly settled in.

Several more cookies were eaten and a second cup of tea was served before any attempt at conversation was made.

"What did you wish to speak with me about?" Kiku asked respectfully.

Wang took another sip of tea and placed it back on the table delicately before answering, "Two things, the first is about your involvement with Greece."

In the midst of taking a sip of his own tea, Kiku hesitated and lowered his cup. "My involvement with Greece-san is more personal than political. Doitsu-san has invested a lot in him, I have done nothing in comparison."

Wang looked at him in confusion. "Personal?" He asked.

Kiku nodded. "Hai, I am not friends with Greece-san for any political gain, I am friends for the sake of being friends," he smiled slightly.

Wang ate another cookie in contemplative silence.

"China-san, do you have any friends?" Kiku asked cautiously.

The other nation tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth to speak. Then he promptly closed it and looked very confused. He knew that Kiku did not mean any offense, but he still did not know how to answer. He looked down at his lap to see his hands fiddling nervously with his robe. Wang straightened his posture and used his hands to smooth the fabric stretched across his lap. He did not know why the question made him nervous. Sure, he had friends.

"Of course I have friends." He stated simply, as he reached for another cookie.

Kiku did not want to push his brother further by asking, but he felt that it was necessary. "Friends on a personal level, or countries that your boss has allied you with?"

Wang narrowed his eyes at him and then stood up. "Both." He said coldly. "And I believe our meeting is over."

Kiku stood up as well. "Sorry that I have offended you."

The other nation just turned away proudly. "It is no big deal."

Kiku simply nodded and escorted him to the door.

Wang stood in the doorway and they exchanged their goodbyes. The larger nation's hand was on the door, about to close it, when he turned back around.

"Japan, I never told you my second reason for wanting to come see you today."

Kiku nodded, "Yes, I remember. Sorry, I forgot."

Wang opened the door up all the way and leaned on the door frame.

"It's about America." He crossed his arms and looked down as if he was unsure of what he was about to say.

Neither nation said anything for several seconds, and Kiku decided to break the silence.

"Is he okay?" Kiku had not heard anything, but he knew that every country always tried to pretend that their internal problems were no big deal. So why would Wang know? Unless he was involved...

"Yes..." Wang began hesitantly, still not looking up, "I'm..." He trailed off.

"You are going to war with him?!" Kiku exclaimed.

Wang cringed in shock at the tone of the other nation; his barrier of coldness was broken by the sudden outburst.

"N- no! I'm not... But Russia-"

"Russia is going to war? With America?" Kiku cut him off. He seemed to have his temper back in check, but he was clearly so angry that he forgot to add the honorifics at the end of names.

Wang was again surprised. Before he could formulate a proper reply, Kiku continued his rant angrily.

"Why does everyone always want to go to war?! No good has ever come of it, nothing is achieved, what reason does anyone have to fight?! I do not know how you know this, and I do not want to. Do not tell me anymore or I will have to tell America about it." He looked at Wang as if giving him a challenge. "If there is another World War, I do not care who sides with who. I am neutral."

The other nation listened with wide eyes as he ranted.

When he was done, Kiku looked at Wang with a calculating gaze. He was breathing hard and looked downright dangerous, although he was obviously flustered.

Wang just stood there, with his arms at his sides, not knowing what to say. He decided to resort to what he was best at.

He cleared his throat and bowed. "Sorry for troubling you."

Kiku straightened himself out and returned the gesture. "There is nothing to forgive. I apologize for my outburst."

A silent understanding to let the events of this meeting remain between them was reached. When the door was closed for good, Kiku went to sit in his living room. _What happened to make China-san side with Russia-san?_

He turned his television on, but he was not really paying attention. The thought of another World War weighed heavy on his mind. It was as if a bag of bricks was placed on his chest, and was noticing the weight of it little by little, until it threatened to crush him. Two large burn marks marked his sides, the flesh there was still tender. The very thought of war made them throb. Hiroshima and Nagasaki may be forgotten by the rest of the world, but not him. He would never forget.

Kiku pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead on them. Would the world even survive if there was another war? Herakles was hoping that it could be stopped altogether, but now it seemed inevitable. Maybe he should tell Alfred, after all.

Would there be anything worth saving at the end of the war? Was there anything worth saving to begin with?

Before Kiku could fall any deeper into his depressing thoughts, there was a knock on his door.

Assuming it was Wang coming back, he quickly muted the television and sat as still as he could, as if that would help.

"Giappone~!" A cheerful voice called, muffled slightly by the walls between them.

_Itaria? Why is he here?_ Kiku debated whether he really wanted to deal with the overly-hyper nation at the moment.

He slowly unfolded himself and stood up. He would hate to disrespect his friend, after all.

"Giappone!" The voice called again, accompanied by enthusiastic knocking.

"Coming!" Kiku called as he made his way to the door again.

He took a deep breath in and a deep breath out before opening it.

"Ciao, Giappone," Feliciano grinned happily.

Kiku could not help but smile back, and he felt his spirits lift a little. He bobbed his head politely. "Konnichiwa, Itaria."

Feliciano did not bother with Kiku's greeting. He pulled the island nation into a tight hug. He was not overly surprised at the gesture, so he just patted his back awkwardly.

"We haven't hung out in awhile, so I thought I'd stop by," he smiled even wider.

Kiku pulled out of the embrace, feeling slightly flustered. Somehow, Feliciano's hugs did not have the same effect on him as Herakles' did.

"And I brought video games!" Feliciano puled a couple of discs from a pocket.

"Should those be in cases?" Kiku asked.

The other nation just laughed. "Germania says so, but I can't ever find them. It's so much easier to just put them in your pocket."

Kiku smiled again, and shook his head slightly, allowing his new guest in.

A few minutes later, they were both seated comfortably on the couch, waiting for the game to load. They had already cleaned the disc twice already, and if it did not work this time, they were choosing something different.

"Giappone, are you okay?" Feliciano asked.

Kiku was mentally pulled back to Earth. "H- hai. Why?"

"Hmm..." Feliciano leaned further back into the cushions as he thought. "You seem... Sconvolto."

"Sconvolto?" Kiku repeatedly blankly, his tongue stumbling over the foreign word.

"Sì... Upset." He translated, once he found the word.

"Well..." He wondered whether he could confide his worries in his friend. "I have been thinking a lot lately." He answered vaguely.

"Vee? About what?"

It hit Kiku that here, he had a friend who was wiling to listen to all of his troubles without complaint of question. He should be pouring his heart out, or start to get angry at his situation, or cry about the sadness of it all. But he could not bring himself to do any of those things.

Feliciano was looking at him expectantly, so he decided to meet his friend halfway.

"If there was another World War," Kiku began softly, "Would there even be anything worth saving anymore?" He could not bring himself to meet his friend's eyes after.

Feliciano knew that Kiku was not talking about material things, but his answer came quickly anyway.

"L'amore," he gave his friend a look that said it was coming from the very bottom of his deep Italian heart. "Love is always worth the fight."

Kiku looked him dully and depression worked its way across his face. "What if you do not have people to love?"

Now Feliciano looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" You have lots of people to love! There's Germania, me, America, Porcellana, Turchia, and Grecia!"

Kiku was once again confused. "How can someone love more than one person?"

"Oh!" Feliciano laughed and Kiku looked as bewildered as ever. "No, not that kind of love. You can love friends too!"

The island nation looked at him blankly. "One can love friends?"

"Of course! I love you, Grandpa Rome, Romano, Spagna because he loves Romano, and Germania! And I love you all without being _in_ love with you. Except Germania... I'm in love with him." Feliciano smiled brightly again, "So friends are worth fighting for because love is worth fighting for."

Kiku was silent for a moment, noticing that their game had long since loaded. He fiddled with the buttons on his controller so that it would not shut off.

"What if it is not the same after a war?"

Feliciano mulled his answer over for a minute. "Hmm... Love is always the same though... People love before, during, and after fighting." Then he giggled, "The funny thing is though, that love is more powerful than war." He got a dreamy look in his eye. "Wars can't stop love, but love can stop wars."

"You really think so?" Kiku asked, sounding as if he was not going to believe a yes or a no, but needed to hear the answer all the same.

"I know so," he hesitated for a brief second before saying, "Ti amo."

Kiku's eyes widened at the words, and he was slightly unnerved, but he had no other way to say it than: "Ti amo toppa."

Feliciano gave him a genuinely happy smile, that warmed him slightly; but not only did the words seem strange and unfamiliar to his tongue, so did the meaning.

He pushed it out of his mind and pressed start; worrying about love and war, and wondering what he could do to stop it.

...oOo...

A/N

So uhh yeah... World War III... Please don't hurt me T_T


	8. The Beginning of the End

Don't worry, World War III doesn't start just yet...

Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me, it belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和). If Hetalia did belong to me, fanfiction would not be necessary.

Thank you amoka22 for suggesting the below song to me! Came in handy ^^

The Beginning of the End

* * *

_Can you read my mind can you see in the snow_  
_And firey deamons all dance when you walk through that door_  
_Don't say you're easy on me_  
_You're about as easy as a nuclear war_  
_There's a dream that strings the road _  
_With broken glass for us to hold_

~Duran Duran: Is There Something I Should Know

* * *

The conference was full and ready to start. Except for Ivan, Wang, and Alfred. The absence of those three nations in particular made Kiku nervous. He was mentally berating himself for not telling his friends about Ivan when he had the chance. Then he wondered if he should tell the countries attending the meeting instead... It was really none of his business though... Not telling anyone was not betraying Alfred, right?

Everyone else in the room was oblivious to this internal debate. Ludwig and Feliciano were talking in hushed tones in a corner while Lovino tried to get his brother's attention. Antonio looked at the three dejectedly. Basch and Roderich were talking heatedly about something and Lili looked to Elizabetha, who just looked amused. Matthew was sitting quietly, watching everyone with interest. Francis walked over to talk to Antonio, and after a minute, they were speaking in hushed tones as well. Toris, Raivis, and Eduard were sitting huddled at the end of the long table, looking around nervously whenever someone walked by the doorway. Felicks was sitting near them, but was preoccupied petting a pony that he somehow managed to smuggle in. Emil, Lukas, Mathias, and Tino were all joking and smiling with Berwald looking on.

They were all waiting for the three missing countries to show up, but everyone was content to take the time to socialize. Except Arthur, who was standing nervously by the door waiting for Alfred. Ludwig noticed and left Feliciano to talk to his brother, so he could talk to Arthur. Francis noticed soon after Ludwig did and motioned for Antonio to talk to the Italian brothers. Ludwig and Francis both went to talk to Arthur.

About then, Herakles noticed Kiku thinking deeply. He wove his way through the groups of nations, only to be interrupted by Berwald.

"Grekland," he placed a hand on the other nation's arm. "Could we talk for a minute?"

"Sure," Herakles answered airily with a quick glance at Kiku to make sure that he was not going anywhere.

Berwald walked to the only free spot in the conference room, which happened to be the center of the room.

"It's about min fru," the blond nation started.

"Your wife?" Herakles asked to make sure he had it right.

"Ja..." he glanced at Tino, then at Kiku, "How did you get Japan out of his shell?" What did you do? Finland won't accept my advances." He looked neither sad nor angry, and said it as if he was merely discussing the weather.

Herakles tilted his head and said, "But Japan and I aren't together."

"You're not?!" A voice next to them shouted in surprise.

They turned to see Tino clasping a hand over his own mouth, while Lukas, Mathias, and Emil roared with laughter.

Herakles smiled in his carefree way and explained, "No, we aren't... I don't think he swings that way. If you know what I mean," he added as an afterthought.

"Really?" Tino asked, an embarrassed blush still tinting his cheeks.

Herakles nodded.

Emil looked sympathetic, Lukas looked suddenly thoughtful, and a grin was slowly spreading across Mathias' face.

"Let's ask him! Yo, Japan!" He called with unreasonable volume.

Kiku looked like he was pulled from a painful thought and he took a moment to register the Nordic nation.

"Hai?" He asked, looking taken aback.

Mathias had half the room at his attention already, and those who were not yet listening, started as he questioned loudly: "Are you homoseksual?

The entire room fell silent and looked at the island nation, who then felt cornered.

"I- I..." Kiku stammered.

Feliciano came to his rescue by declaring, "I think all the men here are!" Then he smiled and winked not-so-discreetly at Ludwig.

Basch and Roderich instantly shouted, "I am not!"

Lovino opened his mouth, glanced at Antonio, then closed it. Seeing this, Antonio grinned widely and announced, "I've never looked at a girl in my life."

"Don't I know it," Francis said as he chuckled immaturely. "But who cares about gender when there is beauty to admire?" He caught Matthew's gaze and offered him a suggestive smile.

Ludwig was trying to look inconspicuous, grateful for the fact that no one commented about Feliciano winking at him. He tried to ignore the background noise to continue comforting Arthur. The island nation looked more agitated than ever.

Tino tried to become one with the table as Berwald looked at him, and Mathias burst out laughing at the sight. Emil and Lukas tried to conceal their laughter with limited success.

Toris looked down at the floor silently and Eduard and Raivis glared at Felicks.

Herakles was oblivious to the drama unfolding around him. "So, are you?" He asked Kiku.

The smaller nation blushed deeply and opened his mouth to answer, but he was spared yet again. This time, he was saved by Felicks. He noticed the looks that the Baltics were giving him, and looked crestfallen for a minute, but then steeled himself.

He grabbed a chair and dragged it to the center of the room. He had the attention of all the countries, and they watched his progress with looks ranging from curious to apprehensive. Once he was at the center, he stepped up onto the chair matter-of-factly, and cleared his throat nervously.

"I'm gay... And I, like, totally love Liet," he announced solemnly, looking right at Toris.

Everyone was silent, looking at Toris to see his reaction.

At first he just gaped up at his childhood friend, Then he looked increasingly angry. He stormed over to the blond nation and pulled him off the chair by the front of his ruffled pink shirt.

"You- you!" He started, shaking with anger. Words failed him and he balled his fist, drawing it back.

Knowing what was coming, Felicks closed his eyes without a fight.

"Sorry, Liet," he whispered.

Toris froze and started shaking with something other than anger. He relinquished his grip on Flicks slowly, then backed away.

"Get jūsų arklys out of here," he mumbled, looking at the flame.

Felicks blinked, more shocked at his release than nearly getting punched. "W-what?"

"Your horse," Toris repeated, still looking down, "Get it out of here."

"O-okay..."

Felicks blinked again, as if in a stupor.

"Go!" Toris said forcefully, pushing the other nation in the chest.

He came to his senses as he stumbled. Felicks caught himself on the table and then grabbed his horse. Giving Toris a pained look, he left the room.

The moment he left, Toris started crying. Eduard and Raivis shared a look of pity for their friend before Eduard stepped forward to hug him.

"Don't worry about him, Lithuania. He's just a jerk," Raivis offered gently.

At that moment, Alfred strutted in.

"Hey guys! Is Poland sitting this meeting out or something? Because he was just walking out of the building with his horse. And I'm sorry I'm-" he cut himself off as he got a good look at the room in front of him.

Kiku looked traumatized, Toris was crying, Arthur looked like he was about to cry, Francis looked amused, Ludwig looked lost, the Nordics looked guilty, Antonio looked as if his heart had been given wings, and there was a random chair in the middle of the room.

"Did I miss something?" Alfred asked, raising an eyebrow at his fellow nations.

Francis glanced between the confused nation and Arthur with a calculating look on his face. Then he smiled and cleared his throat. "Oui... It seems that everyone in this room is gay."

"Hey!" Elizabetha shouted.

Francis spared her a glance and corrected himself, "Everyone here is gay except Hongrie and

Tchécoslovaquie," he nodded to Elizabetha, then to Lili.

Feliciano decided it was necessary to add, "And Polonia is in love with Lituania!"

Alfred stood where he was dumbly, and absorbed all of that for a minute. Then he looked at Arthur and asked, "Y-you're gay?"

"I'm going to _kill_ you, you bloody frog!" Arthur shouted.

Francis merely laughed. Ludwig stepped between the two, but it was unnecessary.

Arthur suddenly calmed down and glanced at Matthew.

Francis stopped laughing abruptly and narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

The other nation chuckled maliciously and tauntingly called, "Oh, Canada!"

Francis lunged past Ludwig and covered Arthur's mouth. Once he got a grip, he looked at a very confused Alfred.

"Amérique, Angleterre-" But he was cut off by Arthur covering his mouth in return.

Ludwig sighed in exasperation and let them go at it.

He walked over to Feliciano, who was talking to Toris soothingly. Somehow, hearing his own boyfriend give romantic advice to the distraught nation was weird.

Ludwig ooked around the room to see how much damage the drama had done. Roderich and Basch were sitting on opposite sides of the long table; trying to kill each other with the pressure of glares. Lovino and Antonio were talking in a corner, oblivious to all around. The Nordics were watching Francis and Arthur in amusement. Ludwig noted that Tino and Berwald were discreetly holding hands. Herakles was seemingly trying to calm Kiku down about something or other. Matthew was looking at Francis, as if trying to figure something out, and Alfred was watching the fighting nations mutely.

"Connard!" Francis exclaimed as Arthur managed to pull one of his blond locks.

"You didn't seriously just call me that, you arse!" The other nation retaliated as he dodged an elbow aimed at his face.

Antonio looked up, as if seeing the fight for the first time. He said something hastily to Lovino, who smirked and watched as he got up and went over to Alfred. Antonio put a hand on the larger nation's shoulder to get his attention.

"Hmm?" He asked as he turned to look at him.

"About Inglaterra," Antonio said with a serious face, looking Alfred in the eye.

"Yeah?" He slid over a little to allow Felicks back into the room.

"He wants to fuck you."

The scuffling nations abruptly halted and the entire room went dead silent, trying to gauge Alfred's reaction.

Francis took the opportunity to correct: "Véritablement, I think he wants _you_ to fuck _him._"

Arthur was looking down, trying not to look at anyone. He looked angry, sad, and scared. That fact, more than anything, brought Alfred to his senses.

"E-England?" He reached almost hesitantly to the smaller nation.

Arthur looked up at him solemnly and said, "America, we need to talk."

Alfred swallowed thickly. "Yeah, we do."

Across the room, Felicks nudged Toris.

"Is it just me, or does nothing ever get done at these meetings?"

Toris smiled softly and gave him an apologetic smile.

...oOo...

Kiku sighed as Francis and Arthur started fighting. Herakles sat down beside him and even looked serious for once.

"I had nothing to do with Danía asking you that question," he said.

The smaller nation was silent for a moment.

"What do you think I am?" He asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

Herakles thought carefully about his answer before he replied, "I think it doesn't matter to me, either way. You're still the same person... And I would still feel the same way about you," he steeled himself for what he was about to say.

"Girisha, I have something to tell you," Kiku said suddenly, removing his gaze from the floor.

"What?" Herakles' heart skipped a beat, then he added, "I'll accept what you say no matter what."

"Chūgoku and Roshia are going to war against Amerika."

The weight of that statement took a minute to hit him, but when it did, it felt like he had been hit by a truck. Why did he know?

"How long have you known?" He asked urgently.

Kiku fidgeted as he replied, "A few days... I do not know whether I should tell everyone or not."

Herakles did not raise his voice, but he did say, "You have to tell them _now_ before the meeting is over."

The smaller nation nodded and looked up.

They both paid attention to their surroundings long enough to see Ivan walk into the room. He looked at Alfred and Arthur with mild interest, then smiled at the room at large.

"Hello everybody, sorry I'm late. Kitay will not be attending today, he is at my house helping me prepare for war." He turned to Alfred and smiled his childish smile, "Amerika, I declare war on you, and anyone who sides with you. I expect you to know who is on your side within a week." He motioned for the Baltics to join him. "Against you will me myself, Kitay, his tributaries, my tributaries, Belarus, Ukraina, and anyone else who wishes to join my side. That's all."

He left the moment he was done talking.

Looking thoroughly shocked, the Baltics started toward the door. Toris looked at Alfred and whispered, "We didn't know... We're so sorry..."

Then they followed Ivan out, leaving the rest of the world to look at each other wordlessly.

Francis and Arthur looked at each other and then separated, not meeting the gaze of any nations in the room. Matthew's gaze left the previously fighting nations and went to Alfred.

When Antonio got over the initial shock, he looked at Alfred in concern. Ludwig and the Italy brothers did the same. The Nordics looked scared, Felicks looked shocked.

Basch was the first to speak. He stood up slowly and cleared his throat and announced, "I am neutral." Then he motioned for Lili to follow him out.

As they reached the doorway, Basch added, "Don't fly your planes over my country." Then he whispered, just so Alfred could hear him: "But I won't sell weapons to any side but yours."

Alfred gave him a strained smile and whispered, "Thanks."

Basch nodded, then he and Lili left.

Next, Kiku stood up. "I am neutral as well," He looked shaken, but resolute of his decision. "America, you may station your troops in my country, but do not launch any attacks. I do not want to depend on your army to protect myself. Your soldiers may use my hospitals, and that is all," he glanced back at Herakles, who appeared pained. Then he left as well.

Herakles quickly stood up to follow. "If Ro̱sía actually attacks first, I will send troops, I don't have much else to offer." He gave a forced smile, and took off after his friend.

"Me as well," Ludwig said quietly.

Feliciano came up behind him and nodded earnestly, Lovino not far behind.

"My country isn't doing so well right now, but I'll help you however I can," Antonio offered.

Francis and Arthur nodded.

"I can spare you some loans if you need them," Francis said gently.

"Me as well," Arthur tried to smile.

Roderich joined the group by the door, and said, "It would be convenient for you to have bases and hospitals in my country, so you may borrow mine."

Alfred just stood wordlessly, taking it all in. He looked like he was in shock and processing everything slowly, not willing to believe everything that just happened.

"I'm dreaming," he whispered to himself.

No one told him otherwise, they were all thinking the same thing.

"This... This can't be happening..." Alfred ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Five minutes ago, we were joking around about being gay... Why..."

His question went unfinished, but everyone knew what he meant.

"I... I don't know," Arthur answered.

That is what set Alfred off. He started crying silently, hot tears streaming out from under his glasses.

Arthur stepped forward to embrace him, and Matthew went over to pat his shoulder.

"We won't let Russia take you down," his brother said in his soothing voice.

Arthur simply rubbed his back, not knowing what else he could do. But then Alfred pulled away, rubbing his eyes and straightening his glasses.

"I won't let Russia take me down either." He wiped his nose on his sleeve, making Francis cringe. He appeared to pull himself together, the familiar spark of defiance and resistance kindling in his eyes. Somehow, this eased the tension in the entire room.

Felicks finally unglued himself from the spot he had been standing in, and said, "I will, like, totally hep you..." He looked thoughtful for a second, "As long as you don't let Rosja invade me!" He offered a genuine smile and a thumbs up, both of which Alfred returned after a moment.

The Nordics grinned and Emil called, "Yeah, don't let Rússland take us over, and you have yourself a deal!"

"Especially our vital regions!" Mathias added, then he chuckled.

Alfred smiled over to them, "You got it."

Arthur caught his eye and they realized what had been confessed to Alfred. They silently agreed to talk, but not right now.

Francis caught the look between them and sighed internally. _Je suppose it can't be helped for now._

Then Alfred grinned and slung his arm around Matthew's shoulders.

"Come on, let's all go home."

As they all left, alone or joined by another nation, a sense of dread settled into their souls. They all knew that the next time they would see each other would be in uniform, or maybe not at all. The sense of security offered by each other's presence slipped away with each step.

The new Allied powers of the world went home to spread the news.

World War Three had officially begun.

...oOo...

A/N

You get two chapters because I'm being a pain by dramatically changing the first two chapters on you.

But I would really really _really_ appreciate your thoughts on this. Do you like where this is going? Even just a 'yes' as an answer is appreciated.

Thanks to those who have reviewed, special thanks to those who review regularly (amoka22 and BrownFeather) and thanks in advance to any future reviewers.


	9. The Dreams That Always Return

A/N: If I'm going to be completely honest about this chapter... I got writer's block... The next chapter will be more interesting...

Disclaimer: Major one needed for this chapter, so I'm just going to site it:  
Himaruya, Hidekaz (日丸屋秀和). _Axis Powers Hetalia_. 1. TOKYOPOP, 2010. 75-80. Print.

So, onward my beloveds!

The Dreams That Always Return

* * *

_And now I'm thinking about  
__How I wish I could go back  
__Just for one more day  
__One more day with you_

~Everytime: Simple Plan

* * *

_Arthur took his boots off as he walked through the door. There was no need for him to knock, this was technically his house. He took his ornate pirate coat off and hung it on the wall, his large feathered hat going up beside it._

_"America! I'm home!" He called._

_He smiled slightly as he heard the sound of little feet running down a distant flight of stairs. Sure enough, a pair of bright blue eyes appeared in the doorway curiously._

_"England!" He shouted with glee._

_The pirate knelt down to catch the little nation as he ran into his arms._

_"I missed you!" Alfred said as he nuzzled into Arthur's neck._

_"I missed you too, America," he replied, rubbing the smaller boy's back._

_They stayed like that for a few minutes. Then Arthur noticed that the younger boy's shoulders were shaking._

_"America?" He asked, pulling away to look at the boy in concern._

_Alfred just clung to his neck tighter and the shaking became more pronounced._

_"Hey, what's wrong?" Arthur was seriously concerned now._

_"W-why did you take so long?" The trembling boy asked._

_The older nation's heart clenched painfully at the sight of his brother crying over his absence._

_"America, when you are an adult, you have lots of things to do and it isn't always easy to find time to do the things you want to do," Arthur replied in what he hoped was a soothing voice._

_Alfred finally released his neck and rubbed his wet face. "But, you do _want_ to come see me, right?" He asked._

_The pirate was secretly glad that his brother had pulled himself together, he was never good at dealing with him whenever he cried. "Of course I do, I always come to see you whenever I can."_

_Alfred looked at him doubtfully. "Really?" He asked._

_Arthur smiled and pulled him close to nuzzle the top of his brown hair. "I've tried to see you whenever I'm not busy."_

_"You must be busy a lot," the smaller nation commented._

_Arthur thought that was a very shrewd observation for so young a nation._

_..._

_Arthur fumbled with a black and white checkered box that had four pillars in the corners, so that it resembled a black and white castle. The box had nearly slipped out of his hands as he saw how much the house had changed from the last time he saw it._

_Before the yard was devoid of any life besides grass, and now the walkway was covered with flowers of all sizes and colors. There were flowering bushes lining the yard, and ivy grew up the sides of the large house. The windows sparkled in the sunlight, showing off how clean they were, and a British flag was waving proudly from the top of the house. The entire array was rather impressive._

_He walked up the cobblestone path to the front door warily. _When had they put the cobblestones there?_ He wondered._

_He could not find a way to open the door and keep ahold of the box, so he pushed his shoulder against the doorbell._

_He waited for a few seconds before the door was thrown open and a familiar pair of blue eyes was looking up at him._

_Arthur smiled widely, "Hi America!"_

_"England!" The boy exclaimed, and threw himself at the taller nation._

_Arthur was easily knocked off his feet by the force, and the next thing he knew, he was on his back with his large hat and the box a few feet away from them, and Alfred was snuggling against his chest._

_Once the older nation got his bearings again, he patted his brother's head and smiled, "Yeah, I missed you too." _

_Alfred pouted at him, and Arthur thought his heart was going to melt from the sight._

_"Don't I get a hug back?" His brother asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

_Arthur looked at him in surprise for a moment, before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close to his chest. Then he decided to tease him. The older nation sighed dramatically, "I suppose so."_

_Alfred detached himself from the other nation and sat up on his stomache give him a disparaging look. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked as he planted his little hands on his little hips._

_Arthur refrained from laughing with extreme difficulty. "Oh, just that most nations don't demand hugs upon my arrival," he taunted._

_Alfred tilted his head to the side and said, "You talk like an old guy."_

_The other nation rolled his eyes. "You sound like France when you talk like that."_

_"No!" Alfred said indignantly, "If I sounded like Francie-pants, I'd talk like a pansy!"_

_Arthur immediately cracked up, "You think 'Francie-pants' sounds like a pansy?"_

_The smaller nation nodded sagely and crossed his arms. "I _know_ so," he paused for a moment while he thought, "But Canada doesn't agree with me." Then he pouted again._

_"Who's Canada?" Arthur asked, propping himself up on his elbows._

_"My brother! Duh," Alfred replied, rolling his eyes._

_"Oh! Right! Canada..." Sitting up allowed him to catch sight of the dramatically changed house. He frowned. "Hey, America, when did the house change so much?"_

_Alfred looked to where Arthur was looking. "Oh, Canada is the one who did all that. He never used to care about the state of our house, but after Francie-pants got him the second time, he said he 'achieved a sense of style'." He put the words that Matthew had said in air quotes._

_"I see..." He continued to examine the house._

_Alfred looked slightly crestfallen. "Don't you like it?"_

_"What?" His attention returned to his brother, "Of course, it looks very nice, America."_

_The younger nation beamed proudly. "I put the cobblestones in," he bragged, "But I accidentally hurt my thumb with a hammer."_

_"A hammer? Why would you need a hammer for that?" Arthur asked, bewildered._

_"I was trying to open the cement with it!" Alfred grinned._

_"That's... That's not how you should open things," Arthur said, then glanced at his brother's hand to see if it was okay._

_Following the older nation's gaze, Alfred looked down at his own hand. "Oh, it doesn't hurt anymore. I __did the pathway awhile ago. And I know that's not how you open things _now._ But no one was around to show me at the time!" He protested to the scolding._

Because I wasn't there to show him._ A little voice at the back of Arthur's head nagged, but he pushed it aside._

_"Hey America, I brought you something," Arthur said._

_"Really?" The younger nation brightened considerably._

_Arthur nodded and pointed to the box, off to the side._

_Alfred climbed off of him to retrieve the box and Arthur stood up to brush himself off. It was not until then that he noticed how tall his little brother was getting._

_Alfred retrieved the hat as well as the box._

_As he accepted it, Arthur asked, "America, how old are you?"_

_"Hmm," Alfred tucked the box under one arm, "Eight, I think."_

_Arthur froze. _Has it really been that long?

_"What's in the box?" The younger nation asked, oblivious to his brother's thoughts._

_"Let's go inside and you can see."_

_Arthur put his hat back on and they went inside._

_"Wow, this is awesome! Thanks, England!" Alfred exclaimed, after seeing the army of toy soldiers nestled in the castle._

_"Sure. take good care of it!" Arthur replied with a smile, "And try to be more careful next time you use a hammer." _

_His warning fell on deaf ears as Alfred examined the soldiers more closely. "Wow, look at all the different kinda soldiers in here! Their faces are all unique too!" _

_Arthur looked on happily. _I knew he would like them. _"Of course, they're all special ordered, after all."_

_Alfred came running at him with one, and made the soldier punch him playfully._

Jeez, he's getting strong. _But he pushed that thought away too._

_..._

_Arthur stood at the front of the house yet again. With a start, he realized that the British flag that had been flying from the roof was gone. He puzzled over that for a minute, but there was no other flag in its place, so he simply dismissed it as nothing. _Is it just me, or does this place seem to be getting bigger?

_Whether the house was actually bigger or not would remain a mystery to him. He hovered anxiously at the door, unsure whether he should knock or just walk in. It was still technically his house, but Alfred had been more vocal about what he wanted lately. He had changed a lot..._

_Arthur shook that thought aside, adjusted the package draped over his arm, and walked in. He took his boots off, but he had forgone the pirate attire long ago._

_"America! I'm home!" He called._

_When he did not hear any footsteps immediately, he became a little concerned._

_"America?" _

_"Hold on!" A voice from upstairs called._

_About a minute later, Arthur was still standing awkwardly in the doorway as he heard someone come down the stairs and peek around the corner._

_"Hi England!" Alfred grinned and walked over to give his brother a hug._

_Arthur happily returned it, but it was brief. _Goodness, he is almost as tall as I am!

_"How have you been?" Alfred asked as he pulled away._

_Arthur shrugged. "I've been better. I think Prussia, Spain, and France are about ready to declare war on Austria. But I've been worse too."_

_Alfred nodded with a sympathetic look on his face. "Yeah, you look pretty tired... Do you want a cup of tea."_

_Arthur smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would love some."_

_Alfred started to make his way to the kitchen. "Earl Grey?"_

_"Yes!" Arthur called back, as he took the paper off the package on his arm._

_He went into the kitchen as Alfred put the kettle on the stove to boil._

_The older nation examined his brother's attire. He was wearing jeans and a cotton t-shirt, black gloves, a striped scarf, and no shoes at all. _Perfect.

_"America, look at this," He said, as he placed the suit on the table for the other to see._

_Alfred came to look eagerly, then gave Arthur a look of confusion. "Huh? What's this?"_

_"And this is for you." Arthur gestured proudly to the array. A heavy black button-up coat, a white button-up shirt with a stiff collar, a black silk bowtie, and pristine black pants._

_"It looks expensive. Not my style, either," Alfred commented, as he picked it up and examined it._

_"That's no good! Your wardrobe is getting sloppy!" Arthur gestured to his brother's current attire. "If _you_ don't dress properly, it makes _me _look bad!"_

_Alfred looked a little hurt momentarily, then pushed it aside. "Give it a rest, these clothes are comfortable!"_

_Arthur gave Alfred his best impression of a 'mom look' and gestured expectantly toward the suit._

_The younger rolled his eyes and left the room with the suit in hand._

_The kettle started whistling not long after and Arthur prepared a cup while he waited. He knew where everything was, thankfully that had not changed._

_When Alfred walked back into the room, he was scratching the back of his neck, the bowtie hung around his shoulders. "The collar is so stiff, I can't even get the buttons in. And I have no idea how to tie a bowtie," he admitted sheepishly._

_Arthur stood up and hummed thoughtfully. He went over to the sink, wet his hands, then went to fuss over his brother's collar._

_Alfred sighed out of exasperation and stood patiently as the collar was forcefully buttoned and the bowtie was tied painfully tight._

_Arthur stepped back to admire his handiwork while Alfred pretended breathing was not suddenly an issue._

_"Let's go see it," Arthur gestured to upstairs so he could see himself in the mirror that hung in the older nation's room._

_Alfred rolled his eyes, but followed. He had the courtesy to not comment on the dust that had accumulated in the other nation's bedroom during the years of his absence. _

Wow,_ Arthur thought, _Have I really been gone this long?

_"America, how old are you?" The older nation asked, furrowing his thick eyebrows._

_Alfred looked at him in surprise, then caught himself before he frowned. "Fifteen," He said quietly, "I'm fifteen, England."_

_Then he turned away to examine himself in the mirror, before Arthur noticed the sadness in his eyes._

_Oblivious to the younger nation's thoughts, Arthur asked, "See? Doesn't that look a lot better?"_

_"I dunno," Alfred began, looking at how uptight the suit made him look, "Maybe for special occasions," He said, more to satisfy his brother than anything._

_..._

_Alfred knelt in the rain, aiming his gun with an unsteady hand. He always knew this day would come, but he never thought it would be so hard. Half of him wanted desperately to return to Arthur, but the other half was fighting tooth and nail for him to pull that trigger and get it over with. Stability or Freedom?_

_"Freedom..." He whispered to himself, then he spoke up, "I'm sorry, England, but I'm gonna choose Freedom." _

_He tried to pull the trigger, but he just could not bring himself to do it. Instead, he stood up and walked closer to the older nation, for once having to look down a little to meet his intense green eyes._

_"I'm not a kid anymore. And I'm not your little brother, either. As of now, I'm declaring my Independence."_

_The gaze of those green eyes grew more and more intense as he spoke, finally snapping as he lunged with his bayonnet. Alfred was surprised, but he blocked with his own gun. _Why didn't he just shoot?_ He wondered._

_"I won't allow it!" Arthur shouted. "You don't have the strength to stand on your own!" _

_He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that, rather than Alfred. He knew that statement was a lie, he watched the younger nation grow up, and he knew perfectly well that he would do just fine without the guidance of his brother. Maybe that is what scared him so much._

_One of the sides, they were not sure who, shouted, "Fire!"_

_But no shots went off, everyone stood still, guns still aimed at the opposing side. Arthur's finger was on the trigger, his green eyes locked on blue ones that were ready to accept the fate that was sure to befall him. He knew the risks, but fiery determination burned in his gaze. The sight of the determined resignation made Arthur fall to his knees._

_"I... I can't do it," Arthur said, "You bloody fool." Tears started pouring down his face and he dropped his gun._

_He knew Alfred was looking at him in concern, and that thought made him cover his face as he cried harder. "Why... Dammit..."_

_Alfred looked at him, half shocked, and half concerned. He had no answer for the distraught nation, "England..."_

_Their breath came out in little white clouds and he looked at the bloody battlefield around them._

_"You used to be... So big..."_

_And Arthur noticed through the rain, the tears, and the smokey haze of their breath, the flag flying off the roof of Alfred's house. It certainly was not his own._

...oOo...

Arthur woke up with a start, and put a hand over his racing heart. He looked at the sunlight streaming in through his window and realized where he was.

"It's been awhile since I had that dream..."

...oOo...

A/N

Again, I am sorry, like I said, I got writer's block. And this chapter needed major citing because the entire thing was pretty much taken from five pages of the first volume of Hetalia (75 to 80), I simply embellished it to explain my take on the relationship between Arthur and Alfred. Sorry about the random backstory, but I felt like a cushion might be needed between the last depressing chapter and the next chapter, which will be pretty emotionally intense as well.

I have gotten writer's block because I realized something about relations between the U.S and China that will make the next chapter difficult, so I am still working on it in the interest of accuracy. Bear with me, I'll have something better next week T_T

Love your thoughts though ^^


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